Apparatus for sideshift carriage control

Abstract

In a material handling vehicle having an operator platform, a sideshift carriage mounted for lateral movement relative to the platform, a traverse carriage mounted for lateral movement relative to the sideshift carriage and forks mounted to the traverse carriage, an improved sideshift control system monitors the position of the sideshift carriage to define home positions for the sideshift carriage relative to the platform. Two home positions are defined, one for the forks facing to each side of the vehicle. The home positions offset the sideshift carriage to one or the other side of the platform to substantially center the load on the vehicle such that a portion of the base of the forks extends a set distance beyond one side of the platform, and the load supported on the forks extends approximately an equal distance beyond the opposite side of the platform. Two electrical switches are mounted approximately at the center of the platform opposite to the sideshift carriage and an activating plate includes two projections which operate alternate ones of the two switches dependent upon the direction the sideshift carriage is extended. A variety of actuating plates conveniently change the home positions and, hence, the preferred load carrying position of the forks for selected applications.