How to Maintain Used Fork Lift Trucks?

Steps to Maintain Fork Lift Trucks

Maintenance of utilized forklifts becomes a giant pain in the back. The maintenance is never facile to do, as used forklifts are already jaded and any enterprising act of belligerence might result in cumbersomely hefty losses incurred.

Used forklift trucks have to be taken care of very delicately, just like a second hand car. There are certain ways in which these used forklift trucks can be maintained. Given below are some:

• The components have to be consistently oiled and utilized with lubricants.

Custom Mud Flaps For Lifted Trucks 101 - Legal Considerations For the Serious Off Road Drivers

Getting custom mud flaps for lifted trucks is more complicated than it looks - it involves a lot of legal considerations that you need to follow. If you don't want to be pulled over, make sure that you check with your local state policy before installing custom flaps for lifted trucks.

Lifted trucks never fail to stand out from the rest whenever you take it on the road. Aside from their monstrous builds, these also have several functional advantages that make these so great to use. First of all, these are more capable of towing heavy loads because of its heavy weight and tall structure.

Second, lifted trucks are ideal

Lifted Trucks For Sale Online

For those of you interested in a cool heavy duty lifted truck for sale, there are many places to look. Here are some useful suggestions for places to find just what you are looking for.

First of all the Internet is a wonderful resource for many sites which specialize in the sale of lifted trucks. Just do a Google search and you'll find many options to consider.

Not only will you find a great deal of useful information concerning listings of these types of trucks for sale

The 2011 Ford Explorer

Ford is one of the most recognizable brands out there. Its Explorer SUV has evolved over the years and considerable change has shaped its trends. The expected 2011 Explorer is a fifth generation model and has promised to undergo radical changes compared to earlier generations.

As a paradigm shift, Ford intends to bust myths about SUV performance and fuel economy. It is believed that fuel economy is the primary reason for the fact that people say no to SUVs.

2011 Ford Edge - Beyond a Nip-Tuck

For the 2011 model year, the Ford Edge crossover receives a major mid-cycle refresh, changes that go beyond a nip here and a tuck there. Yes, the outside gets a nice refresh, but the inside and what is found underneath the hood is certain to inspire interest in this popular midsize crossover.

Popular Edge

And popular the Ford Edge is. Through August 2010, sales of the Edge have pushed past 400,000 units, not bad for a vehicle on the market just under four years. The Ford Edge is the best-selling crossover in its segment and, to date in 2010, has seen sales rise by 30 percent.

1952 Willys & 1937 Ford Classic Monster Trucks - Chariots Of Fire

Fully Functional Customs
By Jim Allen

If you knew the builder of these trucks also built real firefighting brush trucks, would you call "Lil Squirt" and "Silly Willy" art imitating life, or life imitating art? If you ask Jeff Cook, owner of 1st Attack Engineering, he'll answer, "Both!"

Cook is a graduate of "Monster Truck University" and "Custom Truck College," as well as a trained firefighter with 18 years experience.

It makes for an interesting mix of experience. Shortly after graduating from Northwestern College with a tech degree, Cook went headlong into the world of monster trucks, building and driving trucks for several teams, including his own, the legendary "War Wagon".

His father, Jack Cook, is well known in the Midwest for building custom cars and trucks and Jeff spent his early days at Cook's Body Shop in Auburn, Indiana, learning the custom car trade from a master.

After becoming a local volunteer firefighter, he put those fabrication skills to work building a brush truck for his fire company. In the process, he discovered a life's work and founded a company, Wildfire Manufacturing.

While not running the monster truck circuit, he built fire trucks. Business picked up enough that he recently left monster trucks behind to focus on fire trucks. The name of the company has recently changed to 1st Attack Engineering after nearly 10 years as Wildfire.

Silly Willy was constructed in 2002 to highlight the design and construction skills of the company. It's built on a custom chassis and suspension and mounts a '52 Willy pickup cab. Lil Squirt was built in '05, also on a custom chassis, but with four-wheel steering. Both have a lot of "show" and are regularly seen on the show and truck Jambo circuits, as well as at firefighting conventions.

They have a "go" side, however, and it may surprise you. They are both fully functional brush trucks, mounting 1st Attack hardware, and every once in a while, they are allowed to flex their firefighting muscles.

Such was the case in the fall of 2008, when they appeared at a training fire set in a wheat field. Yep, they may be "just" show trucks, but they can do the job of a brush fire truck. When asked why he would risk the expensive trucks, Cook replied, "Oh, they'll clean up."

Lil Squirt uses a fiberglass body to represent a '37 Ford truck. The chassis and underpinnings are a smaller version of what you might see on a competition monster truck.

The bed and firefighting apparatus are just the same as used on production 1st Attack brush rigs, which can include the 200-gallon water tank, Honda-powered fire pump, and two -inch handlines on reels as seen here.

The outward-facing jump seats, from which firefighters can safely work a fire while strapped in and protected by a rollcage, are a signature 1st Attack feature.

Silly Willy uses a '52 Willys pickup body on a custom, monster truck-style chassis. It's powered by a 454 fed by a Gerardot racing-style fuel injection system, adapted for gasoline.

The power feeds through a built TH 400 trans and into a New Process 205 transfer case. From there, power goes to a Dana 70 front axle from an IH application and an Eaton rear dropout-style axle used in a 1 -ton truck. Silly Willy also mounts a 1st Attack bed system with water tank, 3/4-inch hand lines, fire pump and jump seats. It also carries a chainsaw and a backpack sprayer for hot spots.

Taken From Fourwheeler.com

Monster Trucks

Love them or hate them, monster trucks have brutally stomped and crushed their way into their own niche in pop culture drawing massive crowds to arenas and stadiums all over North America who cheer with glee at their ability to destroy helpless cars.

In the beginning they had steel bodies, leaf-spring packs large enough to support the weight of a battleship, and lots of chrome. They crushed cars slowly, with their massive weight doing the work of flattening the cars.

Nowadays they are all high-tech, fast, agile, and impressive. Now they fly over cars with ease.

On Sunday afternoon the Monster Spectacular rolls over the coliseum featuring competition between some of the biggest names, and hugest trucks out there. The Iron Outlaw, Bounty Hunter and others will take on Monster Spectacular reigning world champion, Black Stallion.

Monster truck shows are the professional wrestling matches of the automotive world.

Jimmy Creten drives Bounty Hunter, and also owns the Iron Outlaw.

"I've been doing this since 1995, so about 14 years," says Jimmy. "I always tell people I got into this through stupidity, I was a four wheel drive enthusiast and I mud raced, then I bought one as a hobby. After that I lost my job as an engineer for Colgate-Palmolive and made my hobby my career."

"Now we are one of the busiest teams in the business," Jimmy muses. "We do 50 shows a year, a show every weekend. Then we take the big tires off and put little tires on them and drive them in a semi trailer to the next show."

"I love to travel and see different cultures, see how the French culture influences things. But it is hard on the family too; when we finish in Moncton we are going to Windsor, then I am catching a plane home to see the family," says Jimmy.

If you have never seen one, a monster truck is an automobile, typically styled after pickup trucks, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension.

It all took off in the 1970s when modified pickup trucks were becoming popular and the sports of mud bogging and truck pulling were gaining in popularity. Several truck owners had created lifted trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold the title of "biggest truck" developed.

In 1981, Michael Vaters bought a black 1982 Ford F250 at a local dealership. At that time, a lift kit wasn't available for this truck so he designed and built one. He added 40 inch tires which had recently became available. He named his black Ford "Black Stallion."

It didn't end there. One year later Mike had transformed his street truck the Black Stallion. It boasted a 12' suspension lift with 44" tires. Mike designed and built rear steering and it crab-walked down his hometown streets.

Michael not only drove his truck on the streets he mud-bogged in it one weekend and would spend the entire week cleaning it to enter a show and shine competition the next weekend typically winning first place or best in show. In 1983 Mike drove the Black Stallion over 500 miles to Indianapolis Indiana for the Jamboree and won runner up for the "best engineered truck."

These trucks can run up and over most man-made barriers, which usually means they can crush other cars under their tires as well. For competition there are either timed race events or regular single elimination races with two drivers on the track at once.

"I guess we think of ourselves as paid motor sports entertainment," says Jimmy. "We are paid to put on a show for people, but the show entails a competition, and obviously we didn't come all this way to lose."

In recent years they have begun to add a "freestyle" event at the end of the show. If you are creative enough you can think of this as figure skating with giant trucks. Drivers are free to select their own course around the track and its obstacles. Drivers will often try 'Donuts', wheel-stands and jumps during this segment. Additional items for the drivers to crush -- usually including a motor home -- are frequently placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event. Other obstacles sometimes placed on the track include school buses and small airplanes.

"The popularity over the last 5 years has exploded, they see it on television; Speedvision has two shows a day. So the fans see us doing the big shows and the world finals and want to come meet us in person," says Jimmy.

"Well, I guess they really come to see us make those trucks dance on edge, or catch some air, or to make 15,000-horsepower engines in 10,000-pound trucks dance in a hockey rink," laughs Jimmy.

Monster Spectacular is known for putting on one of the best dome shows in Canada. Fans get an opportunity to meet the drivers and get a chance to see the trucks up close. But the real fun starts with the races and a chance to watch drivers roll over as many as five cars before crossing the finish line.

"I've done Moncton the last two years and the trucks that we bring to town here are very good, we put on a good show in Moncton. The fans always get a good show and it keeps them coming back," Jimmy said.

Taken From CanadaEast.com

Cadillac Escalade vs. Monster Truck

The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is most at home in the hills of Hollywood, California, or cruising next to South Beach in Miami, Florida.

It is a big luxurious SUV with twenty-two-inch wheels, leather everything, and a gas and electric engine.

So how will this biggest and most luxurious of American SUVs do when it is pushed beyond what it was originally designed to do?

To find out, I raced it against a monster truck — a remote control Traxxas T-Maxx monster truck, to be exact.

The challenge was a simple: to see which car would do better tackling the rough and tough mountains and dirt roads of Colorado.

To find out just watch the video below to see which car won the challenge.And as a bonus take a look at the new off road sport we created in the process:

To read more of Roman Mica's car reviews and other automotive news, visit: thefirstlemming.com.

Taken From TheWeeklyDriver.com

4x4 Truck Winch Tips & Tricks - Spool School More Neat Winch Tricks

More Neat Winch Tricks

By Fred Williams

During any recovery there should be only one captain, especially if multiple winches are being run at the same time. This guy tells each controller when to winch, winch out, or stop.

Other than knobby tires, nothing says "I'm an off-road adventurer" like a winch on the front of your 4x4. But winches aren't just for looking good. A winch is a great tool for extracting yourself, your buddies, or those old shrubs from the front yard your wife has been harassing you about removing.

But like any tool, there's a right way and a wrong way to use a winch. We always think we've seen just about every conceivable winch maneuver, but every couple of trail rides we come across something we didn't think would work.

Here are some tips and tricks for using your winch. If you've got some crazy winch repair or recovery that we must see, send us a picture. Until then keep those fingers out of the spool, and may your motor never fry.

1. The first rule of winching is to choose the right winch. We like the rule of 11/2, which means the winch rating should be at least 11/2 times the curb weight of your vehicle. If your Jeep weighs 5,000 pounds, you need at least a 7,500-pound-rated winch.

Of course, more is usually better, but with strength comes weight. This monster Jeep is almost over the load limit of this 8,000-pound-rated Warn 8274 and should be upgraded, but this iconic spur-gear winch has worked flawlessly so far.

2. The next choice is between rope and cable. Winch rope is lighter, just as strong, and readily available, while winch cable is cheaper, more abrasion-proof, and extremely resilient to mud and sand. Though winch rope is less likely than cable to damage when bunched up on the spool, it does need to be protected from UV rays, as the sun can deteriorate the rope over time.

3. When installing your winch it is important to follow the wiring instructions and always run both the positive and negative wires to the battery itself.

Oftentimes off-roaders simply run the negative to the chassis, but if there are any shorts or weak grounds, this can reduce the pulling power and the life of the winch. If need be, upgrade your wire size and length to get the leads straight to the big battery terminals.

4. Another important winch requirement is the mounting system. There's no use having a winch if it's going to rip your bumper off. This truck has a massive front bumper that is solidly attached to the frame, and then the winch is hidden inside for protection from both trail abuse and thieves. Check the installation instructions for proper mounting direction; some winches have forward mounting bolts and others have them on the bottom.

5. Here is something you don't see every day in the USA, a winch with dual motors. In Europe and Australia, there are many long-range endurance competitions that have timed hillclimbs, and competitors have upgraded their winches for even more winch line and faster line speeds.

This type of speed winching isn't required for your average trail ride. The big orange thing is an ARB winch line weight. It easily Velcros over the winch line and would safely drop the cable or rope to the ground should it break under load.

6. One trend we've seen a lot of recently is using the front winch to help compress the front suspension. This is done by running the rope or cable straight down from the drum to an attachment point on the front axle.

This is especially helpful when climbing up steep obstacles, as it helps lower the center of gravity and keeps the front end from unloading and pushing the chassis backward off the climb. Just be sure you loosen up the winch before hitting any high-speed trails where you need the suspension to move.

7. No matter how skilled the driver or capable the vehicle, there is no shame in hooking up a cable before attempting a climb that might send you backward on your lid. It also helps to have a spotter that can direct you and run the winch at the same time.

Winches are great at pulling trucks up difficult climbs, but it's a good idea to drive and winch simultaneously to help the winch out.

8. Here is another trick we saw overseas and that we are surprised hasn't shown up in the U.S. This truck has its winch mounted behind the cab, with a series of pulleys and guides on the passenger-side framerail that routes the winch rope up to the front of the truck.

This serves three functions: It increases the approach angle since the winch and bumper aren't sitting out on the front of the truck, it balances the weight of the winch between the front and the back of the vehicle, and it allows the driver to engage or disengage the winch freespool from his seat while his co-pilot hooks up the cable.

9. It is important to put something over the winch cable in case it should break or come unhooked under load. There are special winch line weights, or you can use a tow strap, a floor mat, or a jacket to drag the line to the ground in the event of an unhooking.

It is important that bystanders stand back behind vehicles. It also doesn't hurt to raise the hood of the winching vehicle just in case the hook comes flying back toward the winch.

10. Be sure to rig your attachment point properly. Use a tree strap to protect the bark of a tree. When you put the strap around the tree or rock, hook both ends of the strap to the hook on the end of the winch line.

This way the strap won't tighten like a noose around the tree and damage the bark. If possible, use a clevis to hold the tree strap ends together and/or a hook with a closing latch that keeps it all from unhooking while you winch yourself forward. If you use winch rope be sure you have a sleeve that protects it from rock abrasion.

11. No matter how much of a superman you are, we do not recommend this as a win

Taken From 4WheelOffRoad.com

How to Make Money With My Truck - Now, Your Gas-Guzzler Can Come in Handy!

Thus far, you would have treated your truck as a gas-guzzler. And guzzlers they are, consuming every inch of gasoline, burning a serious hole in your pocket. But what if you knew the methods to make money with your truck, trust you would jump on those ideas.

After all, who wants a Non-Performing Asset anyway! And yes, for all such truck-owners, here are some tried, tested and perfectly legit ways of making money. How to make money with my truck - Here are some answers.

For your benefit, here they are!

• Offer your truck to be used to ship goods from the docks to supermarkets and retail stores. A lot of these stores get their shipments from overseas that land by the docks or the ports. You could make your truck a money-spinner. One trip to and from the dock would get you couple hundred dollars easily.

• Offer your truck to carry perishable foods to and from the supermarket. You could literally make your truck a moving vegetable store. Buy some vegetables from the supermarket and be on the wheels through your city.

People would be happy as they get their vegetables without a lot of fuss. Supermarkets would be happy as in spite of low footfall, they would be able to sell off their inventory. Of course, you get paid as well!

How to make money with your truck - Simple ideas often make the most of this concept! The ideas discussed above do not require your truck to be changed into an efficient gas-saving machine. All you have to do is to tailor your trucks accordingly. Most of this starts in the mind!

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too, read the amazing, true story, in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

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