So my limited experience with curtain siders has been fun…
One - Did not have the energy to lift the bar out as it was so tight - not sure how some of the lady drivers manage… tip…lift off both ends and it gets easier
Two - The Irish Sea blowing a gale on Ellesmere Port creates havoc as you are trying to pull back the curtain for JLR
Three - Thanks Crisp factory to strap some of the pallets with the hidden straps within the curtains…no wonder I could not drag it open…sorry to whoever finds some squashed hula hoops in their shopping next time in St Albans…
Four - Why do you have to open both sides when its easier with some long forks on the forklift
Extended /Long forks on flt’s , are extremely dangerous at the best of times .most companies try to Hide them that i have worked for .it is possibly why thats happening.?
Albert1:
Extended /Long forks on flt’s , are extremely dangerous at the best of times .most companies try to Hide them that i have worked for .it is possibly why thats happening.?
Extended/Long forks are no more dangerous than a regular FLT. They are just different to drive, and have modified safety concerns as a driver. But to describe them as “extremely dangerous” is just ■■■■■■■■
As for the OP, every curtainsider is different, and the better it is cared for over the course of its life, will directly impact on how easy it is for you to use day in day out. Like anything, one you get to know their foibles they are easy.
Without curtains, you’ll be pump trucking your load in or out of a box if you go somewhere without bays. There’s no fun in that if your load is home delivery weight lifting equipment parcels…
I find they can be both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes you get an easier reverse to a hard standing area where they fork you from the sides, others you have a bay but you’ve still got to deal with the curtains because you have to unstrap the load.
Straps and buckles can be dangerous, so watch out for swinging metalwork heading for your face…especially if there’s a breeze blowing. I hear that the poles can give you a smacking too, but that’s just racist if you ask me.
Working out of Manchester Airport, being a curtain sider is a ■■■■■■■ pain in the arse, most of the stuff I shift to RDCs/Warehouses that use bays refuse to do a side tip, even after I tell them “IT’S ALL ON YANKY PALLETS”, “No drive bay XyZ” 45 minutes later after listening to some eastern European curse his way though what ever languages he knows, “Drive pull off and open up”
If you think single decked curtains are hard to close in wind, try doing double deckers, in a light breeze
You’ve not done curtain work properly until you’ve been smacked in the head by a pole!
Explains a lot in my case…
As for the pole being tight, it may be bent as forkie’s don’t give a ■■■■ while they aim at your truck in an attempt to scrape off as much paint as they can and gouge your side protection rails…
You’ll often also find that the curtain isn’t set up equal front to back, so when you release the tension the curtain is still tight when you’re trying to lift the pole. Maintenance can also be an issue, so I used to carry a pot of lube, and that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!
Albert1:
Extended /Long forks on flt’s , are extremely dangerous at the best of times .most companies try to Hide them that i have worked for .it is possibly why thats happening.?
Extended/Long forks are no more dangerous than a regular FLT. They are just different to drive, and have modified safety concerns as a driver. But to describe them as “extremely dangerous” is just ■■■■■■■■
As for the OP, every curtainsider is different, and the better it is cared for over the course of its life, will directly impact on how easy it is for you to use day in day out. Like anything, one you get to know their foibles they are easy.
Albert1:
Extended /Long forks on flt’s , are extremely dangerous at the best of times .most companies try to Hide them that i have worked for .it is possibly why thats happening.?
Extended/Long forks are no more dangerous than a regular FLT. They are just different to drive, and have modified safety concerns as a driver. But to describe them as “extremely dangerous” is just ■■■■■■■■
As for the OP, every curtainsider is different, and the better it is cared for over the course of its life, will directly impact on how easy it is for you to use day in day out. Like anything, one you get to know their foibles they are easy.
Bollox you bore
I see no bollox there just sound advice!
Extended forks are just an attachment to help do a job easy and quicker or to handle stuff better no different than having double forks for block paving/bricks or any other attachment for a forklift of which there are lots. The driver just has to get used to them, probably more a case of inexperienced or rubbish forklift drivers you may have worked with?
cba getting into it really ,just gave “My Opinion” .After 10 years using them The garage on the council site i worked only released them to me to move big play kit around .there are people on here who just like to disagree im afraid .
Albert1:
cba getting into it really ,just gave “My Opinion” .After 10 years using them The garage on the council site i worked only released them to me to move big play kit around .there are people on here who just like to disagree im afraid .
Fair enough.
Most peoples opinions will vary from doing different work, but from personal experience using various machine attachments and getting used to them, what F Reds wrote made sense and sounded like my own experiences so i agreed with him is all!
Albert1:
Bore off you patronising condescending self important Probably TM , My opinion stands .
Your opinion is wrong. You have been stuck in your own little world for 10 years. Thousands of Kooi forks around. Open one side only and it will load both pallets in from the same side. Used in a lot of tight yards and those that have lots of one way traffic and others that are depended on a quick turnaround or have time sensitive deliveries.
Of course you work at the council, time is the least of your concerns and the longer you can drag it out the better it is for you, typical.
They have been around for donkeys years and only a muppet driver would tip his FLT over using them, a proper professional would know how to use them.
There are two different versions of the Kooi, one where just the forks extends, one where the whole cradle extends:
I like the FLT’s with the 2 sets of forks like Wilko’s in Worksop so they can take two pallets off at once. Doesn’t solve the problem of having to open both sides, but does get the job done much quicker overall…and sometimes makes me sprint to get the other side open.
Extended ones sound a good idea, as long as the pallets are lined up and not at 90 degrees or just badly loaded. Have seen quite a few forkies unable to line up with one pallet, or going gung-ho at it when the pallet isn’t completely straight, so would recommend they’re given to the slightly more experienced people. A good idea however.
As for the original point about getting hit by the pole - usually on the back of the head as the nasty little thing waits until you’re not looking!
To the OP - when your lifting the curtain pole out quite often there is a pin in the bottom mechanism that needs lining up first. If you don’t do this you will never get the pole out
Also if its very windy don’t pull the whole of the curtain open. They can literally fly up over the roof bending both poles in the process or even worse hit you on the way over. Open half of the curtain and let the forkie do his job; then close the curtain and open the other half. Its hardly hard work to do this and will save you a lot of pain
