What Kind of Forklift Lights Do I Need?

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Like with any complex machine, each part of your forklift needs to function properly to ensure proper and safe operation. Even those forklift parts that may not seem completely essential to operation, such as the forklift lights, are important to maintaining an efficient and safe workplace.

The importance of the lights on your forklift can’t be overstated, so it’s important for warehouse professionals across Indiana to know the basics of the different types of forklift lights.

Why Are Forklift Lights Important?

Just like with any motor vehicle, the lights on your forklift are essential for visibility and safety. Some people may think that since forklifts rarely go faster than 6-7 mph, forklift lights are unnecessary. However, anyone who’s spent time in a factory or warehouse knows that isn’t true. Oftentime workers wear earplugs, listen to headphones, are concentrated on their work, are surrounded by loud machinery, or otherwise have one or more of their senses distracted.

The forklift lights aren’t just for the safety of nearby pedestrians–they can also help protect the operator and forklift itself. Front-facing forklift lights can help an operator see any obstruction on the ground, or identify a sloping grade that may affect the weight distribution of the lift load. Remember, a forklift operator can’t do their job if they can’t see what they’re doing.

What Are The Types of Forklift Lights?

There are a few different types of forklift lights, each offering varying strengths and lifespans. The most common are sealed beams, halogen lamps, and LEDs.

Sealed Beam Forklift Lamps

The most basic type of light, sealed beams are commonly used in front-facing lights in applications such as headlamps. While simple and affordable, sealed beam lights are fairly fragile, have a lower lifespan than other options, and have a lower lumen output when compared to more high-end lights. More often than not these should mainly be used indoors, where forklift visibility is already fairly good.

Halogen Forklift Lamps

A step up from sealed beam lights are halogen lamps. Halogen lamps are fairly recognizable, as they’ve been the standard for car headlights for several years. As such, they’re able to project a much stronger beam of light when compared to sealed beams. They’re also incredibly easy to install, and simply snap into place to a connector.

Since they’re so small, they can be a bit fragile (though with slow forklift speeds, this usually isn’t an issue), and need to be handled with care during installation.

LED Forklift Lights

The highest quality forklift lights are far and away LED lights. They last an incredibly long time (close to 30 times the lifespan of a sealed beam light), can put out more than 1,000 lumens of light, and are extremely durable when compared to other forklift lights.

With that high quality can also come a little higher price tag. However, if your forklifts are doing work that requires powerful lights, LED forklift lights are absolutely worth the investment.

Learn More About Forklift Lights

If you have any questions about forklift lights, or your fleet needs some replacements, we want to help. Turn to Tynan by calling 317-597-4003 to get in touch with our dedicated service team for any forklift part needs you have.
Halogen lights are one type of popular forklift light in Indiana.

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