Tungsten Alloy for Forklift Counterweight

Tungsten Alloy for Forklift Counterweight

The reason why tungsten alloy is used as the main raw material for the forklift counterweight is that it has a higher proportion than other counterweights. To put it more simply, when the volume is the same, the weight of tungsten alloy is much higher than the weight of other counterweights, which can effectively reduce the probability of forklifts overturning, and at the same time can significantly extend the replacement time of counterweights. In this article, let’s take a closer look at the tungsten alloy for forklift counterweight.

Tungsten Alloy for Forklift Counterweight

A forklift is a kind of handling tool widely used in freight yards and warehouses. It has high maneuverability and flexibility and can carry out cyclic loading and unloading work in small places. Due to the particularity of the forklift’s working method, its reverse gear is used more frequently. When the forklift lifts and shifts the object, the front end is the main stress point. Therefore, in order to maintain the balance of the body, the forklift must be equipped with a heavyweight at the rear. Otherwise, it is easy to cause safety problems such as overturning.

The size of the forklift’s counterweight not only directly affects the load distribution of the vehicle but also directly determines the production cost of the vehicle. Take a three-ton forklift as an example. The standard weight of the counterweight of the forklift should be about 1.8 tons. The selling price of the cast iron counterweight is about US$700.2/ton, making it the most expensive part of the forklift. For this reason, many manufacturers use the method of increasing the wheelbase to reduce the weight of the counterweight and use concrete to replace the cast iron counterweight, so that the production cost will be greatly reduced.

However, after the wheelbase increases, the turning radius of the forklift will also increase, and the space utilization rate will be greatly reduced. Therefore, the counterweight of the forklift is very important to the forklift, which will affect the safety, production cost, and carrying capacity of the forklift.

In recent years, due to the decrease in the price of tungsten, most manufacturers choose high-density tungsten alloy as the counterweight of forklifts, which can reduce the production cost of the vehicle and increase the utilization rate of the vehicle space.

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you better understand the tungsten alloy for forklift counterweight. If you want to learn more about tungsten alloys or other refractory metals and alloys, we would like to advise you to visit Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) for more information.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) is a leading manufacturer & supplier of refractory metals & alloys across the world. It provides customers with high-quality refractory metals & alloys such as tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium, titanium, and zirconium at a very competitive price.