Use of forklifts on tractors

For occasional use, a cantilever forklift can be used as a tractor, but it is less well suited to this purpose than a real tractor.

Load distribution between the axles often means that, in order to increase the grip weight on the drive axle, a load must be taken from the forks, which limits forward visibility. This poor load distribution can be further exacerbated by the fact that the resistance to forward movement of the trailer train creates a load transfer from the front to the rear, further relieving the load on the drive axle. This phenomenon is particularly troublesome when climbing ramps, as the load transfer to the rear due to the ramp adds to the lightening of the front axle.

On a tractor-truck, on the other hand, load transfers, both traction and ramp, reload the drive axle and therefore increase the permissible rimpull (except...