Grip It, Slide It, Lift It: Forklift Attachments

What do you think of when you think of forklifts? I’m sure a lot of us picture those forks sliding into a pallet, lifting it up, and moving it across the dock or racking it in the air to a reserve location. But the forklift can do so much more than just move and store pallets.

I’m Marty T Hawkins with Warehouse and Operations as a Career. And today let's talk about attachments. And specifically, three attachments that I run across weekly on my visits to facilities.  The slip sheet attachment, the barrel clamp, and the clamp or squeeze clamp. Each of these was designed for a specific purpose, and each one makes our work easier, but if we don’t use them correctly, they can cost us big in product damage, safety risks, and lost efficiency.

We’ll cover where they came from, why they exist, how to use them, and, just as important, how not to use them. And I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me say it but please let's remember to never get on or operate a powered industrial truck or attachment, or any type of machine we haven't been trained and certified to be on and to operate. Even manual equipment let's get that training and demonstration before touching them. Ok, I’ll move on!

Let’s start with the slip sheet.

Slip sheets came about because the industry wanted a lighter, cheaper alternative to pallets. Think about it, a wooden pallet can weigh 40 pounds or more. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands in a warehouse, and you’re talking about a lot of weight and a lot of space taken up.

A slip sheet is basically a thin sheet of plastic, cardboard, or heavy laminated paper. Instead of the forklift’s forks sliding into a pallet, the truck is outfitted with a push-pull attachment. This attachment has wide, flat platens and a gripper that clamps onto the lip of the slip sheet. It literally pulls the load onto the platens and pushes it back off when it’s time to unload.

Now, where do we see slip sheets? Industries like food and beverage, paper production, and retail use them a lot. They’re especially popular in export shipping, where every pound and inch of container space matters.

In my experience slip sheets only work well if the entire supply chain is set up for them. If the manufacturer ships on slip sheets but the distributor doesn’t have the right forklift attachments, or slotting configurations you’ve got a problem, and that load will have to be unloaded onto pallets.

And misuse or improper training? That’s where we get into trouble. If the operator doesn’t get that gripper securely onto the slip sheet tab, the whole load can slide right off. Unlike pallets, there’s no wooden base keeping the cartons together. If the stack isn’t perfect, it can topple mid-move. And if an operator tries to handle a slip sheet like forks, scraping or pushing product around, you’ll end up with torn packaging and damaged goods.

Slip sheets are efficient, but they demand precision and training.

Next up, the barrel clamp.

Think about how many industries ship product in 55-gallon drums, chemicals, oils, beverages, syrups. Way back when, workers had to roll or wrestle those barrels into place. And that's not safe, not fast, and certainly not efficient.

That’s why the barrel clamp attachment was developed. It’s basically curved, padded arms that clamp snugly around the sides of a drum. No pallets required. The forklift can pick them up directly. Depending on the model, you can grab one, two, or even four barrels at once. Some clamps even rotate, so you can pour or empty the contents right from the seat.

You’ll find barrel clamps in chemical plants, food and beverage warehouses, and pharmaceutical distribution.

And I’ve seen a variation of the barrel clamp, called a roll clamp used to carry those huge rolls of paper and plastic stock in production plants.

But, like the slip sheet, there are risks if they’re not used correctly. The big one is over-clamping. If the pressure is set too high, the drum can dent, split, or even rupture. Imagine spilling hundreds of gallons of syrup or chemicals on your warehouse floor. That’s not just lost product, that’s a safety nightmare.

On the flip side, if the operator doesn’t clamp tightly enough or misses alignment, the drum can slip out mid-transport. A falling barrel is dangerous on its own, but add in liquid, and you’re talking about a slip hazard, potential injuries, and cleanup costs.

Barrel clamps save a lot of back-breaking manual work. But they only work when the operator knows how to set the clamp pressure correctly and checks that every drum is secure before moving that first inch.

And then we have the squeeze clamp, sometimes just called a clamp attachment. This was the first attachment I was trained on. We we’re unloading laundry washers and driers from rail cars.

Now this one is really versatile. Instead of forks, you’ve got two big flat plates that open and close hydraulically. They grab and hold the load by squeezing it, no pallet needed.

Think about products like refrigerators, chest type freezers, washing machines, dryers, or sofas. They’re bulky, boxed, and heavy. You don’t really want them on a pallet. A clamp grabs them from both sides and lets you move them safely.

You’ll see clamp attachments in appliance warehouses, furniture distribution centers, and even in paper and Styrofoam production plants.

Now, the danger here is the clamp pressure again. Too little, and the load slips right out, crashing to the floor. Too much, and you crush the product inside the box. I’ve seen refrigerators come off the truck looking fine, but inside the coils are damaged because the clamp pressure was cranked too high.

There’s also balance to think about. If the clamp isn’t centered on the load, the weight distribution can throw the forklift off balance. Tilt too far forward when setting it down, and you risk tipping the product or the truck itself.

The takeaway? A clamp attachment is an incredible tool, but it requires training, patience, and respect.

What do slip sheets, barrel clamps, and squeeze clamps all have in common

They’re designed to make our work easier, faster, and safer. They replace manual labor, save on packaging, and help us move products that just don’t belong on pallets.

But, and this is important, they’re also unforgiving when misused. They demand training. They demand awareness. And they demand respect.

A slip sheet system saves freight costs but only if it’s gripped and moved correctly. A barrel clamp saves backs but can crush a drum if pressure isn’t adjusted. A squeeze clamp can move a refrigerator without a pallet, but it can just as easily destroy it if handled wrong.

Those three attachments are probably the most used in distribution, production, and manufacturing environments but there's so many others, and all of them present their own specific uses and dangers.

Things like fork extensions. There used to extend the length of your forks to handle long or oversized loads. Using them we’ll need to keep the load weight within the lifts lifting capacity and make sure the extensions are secured before lifting.

And side shifters, for moving forks or the attachment left or right without moving the truck. Handy for precise pallet placement. And remember to only shift when the load is close to the ground.

The carpet pole is another handy tool I run into pretty often. There used to lift and transport rolls of carpet or other large rolls. The pole is slid into a core or tube in the middle of the roll of carpet. You’ll want to move slowly and avoid swinging these rolls. And be careful, watch your weight capacity and center of gravity at all times. You have to be careful around people and racking.

What else here, there's so many different types, Oh we need to mention the man baskets or work platforms. These are baskets or cages used to safely lift workers for maintenance or such. I’ve seen them used for inventory counts. They need to be Osha approved for that purpose and the occupants must always be trained on and use fall protection.

And one more, sweepers. These can convert our forklifts into maintenance tools. I’ve seen facilities build a magnetic bar that's placed on our forks and ran all around the truck yard picking up nails, screws and metal debris. We have to go slow and be on flat surfaces when using these type of accessories as well.

And a few others real quick. Fork Positioners, we can adjust fork spacing hydraulically. Brick & Block Clamps, can handle construction blocks and pavers. Tire Handler Clamps help us  move large vehicle tires.  And Invert-A-Pallet / Pallet Turners, Flip loads to change pallets.

As you’ve probably gathered, we could go on and on.  So, here’s the bottom line: forklift attachments are tools, and like any tool, they’re only as good as the person using them. In the right hands, they’re assets that improve safety, efficiency, and cost savings. In the wrong hands, they’re accidents waiting to happen.

If you’re working around these attachments, or if you’re an operator running them, take the time to learn how they work. Get the training, practice the alignment, and respect the equipment. Its the law. Remember to never get on, even touch, or attempt to operate a powered industrial truck, truck attachment, or any type of machine you have not been trained and certified to operate. Again, its the law.

We, as professionals, follow the laws, rules, and processes, because at the end of the day, our goal is always the same, move the product, protect the product, and get everyone home safe, with no incidents or accidents.

Thanks for joining me today on Warehouse and Operations as a Career. Until next time, learn something new, stay focused, and be safe, we all have family and friends counting on us to come home at the end of our shifts.