Mast & Carriage

The mast is the vertical assembly that does the work of raising, lowering, and tilting the load. The mast supports the carriage that allows its vertical movement with the hydraulic lift. The carriage is made of flat metal plates that move along the mast by chains or are directly attached to the hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic lift cylinder supplies the power to lift the load.

There are several mast types, such as the following:

• Simplex: A single stage mast with limited free lift, ideal for loading and unloading trucks and in areas where overhead clearance is a problem.
• Duplex: Two stage mast with greater free lift, good for loading and unloading higher-tiered stacks than simplex.
• Triplex: Three stage mast with the same free lift as a duplex but with capacity to extend more, good for loading and unloading higher-tiered stacks than simplex or duplex.
• Quad: Four stage mast with the same free lift as a duplex and triplex but with capacity to extend more, good for loading and unloading higher-tiered stocks than the duplex or triplex. It requires precautions at its highest lifting heights.

Masts can obstruct the operator's view. The operator should travel with the load trailing or use a spotter whenever necessary to achieve adequate visibility.

To learn more about Industrial Equipment visit our Cal/OSHA Industrial Equipment, Lift Trucks and Tractors Online Training web page.