Importance

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Abstract

A fork positioner is mounted on a side-shifting carriage of a forklift truck and has transversely-movable, powered yoke assemblies for detachably engaging the upstanding portions of the forks and selectively moving them transversely toward and away from each other while they are supported by the upwardly-facing surface of the fork-supporting member of the side-shifting carriage. The fork positioner has a frame connected to the outwardly-facing, opposed transverse ends of the carriage fork-supporting member in rearwardly-overlapping relation thereto, so that neither the frame nor the fork-engagement structure of the fork positioner protrudes forwardly beyond the forward extremities of the upstanding portions of the forks, thereby minimizing the forward protrusion of the fork positioner beyond the front axle of a counterbalanced lift truck and thus maximizing its load-carrying capacity. The powered yoke assemblies include a pair of inverted U-shaped assemblies which fit over the tops of the upstanding portions of the forks, engaging the opposed transverse sides thereof in rearwardly-overlapping relation thereto. Despite such overhanging engagement of the forks by the U-shaped assemblies, the U-shaped assemblies engage the transverse sides of the upstanding portions of the forks at an elevation below the upwardly-facing fork-suppporting surface of the fork-supporting member of the side-shifting carriage.

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First Claim