Forklift bale clamp or carton clamp: which one grips your load

What a forklift bale clamp does that plain forks cannot

Forks need a pallet, or at least a gap under the load. A clamp does not. Two powered arms close on the sides of the load and hold it by friction, so goods travel without a pallet underneath and without the pallet cost and the pallet storage that go with them.

A forklift bale clamp is the version built for soft, compressible loads: wool and fibre bales, baled waste and cardboard, packed textiles, bags of insulation. The arms are flat steel plates, usually faced with a replaceable pad, and the hydraulics squeeze hard enough to hold the bale without bursting it.

That is the gain. The cost is on the truck. A clamp is a hydraulic attachment that hangs off the carriage, and it needs a service line and a valve on the truck to work it. If your forklift has only the standard lift and tilt, a third or fourth hydraulic function has to be fitted or specified when you order the truck.

Which clamp suits your load: bales, cartons, reels or drums

Pick the clamp from what you actually carry, not from what the truck already has on it. The four families on the forklift attachments page do different jobs.

• Bale clamp. Soft and compressible loads that will take pressure across a flat face. Typical capacities run from 1 t up to 5 t depending on arm length and pad size.
• Carton clamp. Boxed goods handled without a pallet, such as white goods, flat packs and stacked cartons. The pads are wider and thinner so they slide between stacks, and a side shifter is normal because the operator has to line up on a tight stack.
• Paper roll clamp. Reels, rolls and drums. The arms are curved so the grip is spread round the circumference, which is what keeps a paper reel from taking a flat spot or a crushed core.
• Rotating clamp. Any of the above where the load has to be turned or inverted: tipping a drum, inverting a stack, emptying a container. Rotation is 360 degrees and adds a hydraulic motor and a slew ring.

Soft pack and bale work is where most buyers start, because it removes pallets from the biggest, most awkward loads on site.

Clamp types compared: load, capacity and price

Guide prices in GBP ex VAT. Arm length, pad size and the truck carriage class all move the figure, so treat these as the starting point and read the exact price off your written quote.

The jump from a plain clamp to one with a side shifter is the single biggest step in price for most buyers, and the jump again to rotation roughly doubles it.

Side shift, pad area and arm length: what moves the price

Three things on the spec sheet account for most of the difference between a clamp at under £1,000 and one at over £3,000.

Side shift. Without it the driver repositions the whole truck to line up on a stack. With it the arms move left and right on the carriage, usually by 100 mm or so each way. On a close stacking job it saves a manoeuvre on every pick, and it is the reason a bale clamp with a side shifter is listed from £1,990 ex VAT rather than from £795 ex VAT.

Pad area. Clamping force is spread over the pad. A bigger pad means less pressure per square centimetre on the load, which matters when the load is crushable. Undersized pads are the usual cause of marked cartons and burst bales, and they cannot be fixed by turning the pressure down because then the load slips.

Arm length and opening range. The arms must open wider than your widest load and close tighter than your narrowest. Measure both before you ask for a price, because arm length drives the steel, the weight and the load centre all at once.

Rotation sits on top of all three. A rotating clamp from £3,620 ex VAT adds a motor, a slew ring and a fourth hydraulic function, and it adds weight in the worst place for residual capacity.

What to check before you buy a forklift bale clamp

Work through this list with the truck in front of you, and send the answers with your enquiry so the quote is right first time.

1. Carriage class and width. Class 2 and class 3 are the common ones. The clamp must match the carriage the truck already has, or you need a carriage adaptor.
2. Hydraulic functions available. Clamp open and close needs one spare service line. Side shift needs another. Rotation needs a third. Count what the truck has free.
3. Residual capacity. The attachment weighs something and it pushes the load centre forward. A 5 t truck with a heavy clamp may be a 3.5 t truck in practice. Ask for the derated capacity figure for your truck model and fit a revised capacity plate before the clamp is used.
4. Load dimensions. Minimum and maximum width, height and weight of everything you intend to clamp.
5. Pad material. Rubber faced pads grip harder on smooth cartons, plain steel lasts longer on abrasive bales. Check pads are replaceable and that spares can be quoted.
6. Inspection regime. A clamp is lifting equipment and comes under the same thorough examination regime as the truck under LOLER 1998, and under PUWER 1998 as work equipment. Build it into your schedule from day one.
7. Operator training. A clamp changes how the truck behaves and how a load can fail. Drivers need conversion training on the attachment as well as the truck, in line with HSE guidance.

How to get a price that holds

Send the truck make and model, the capacity on its plate, the carriage class, the number of spare hydraulic services, and the dimensions and weight of the load. That is enough for a firm figure on most clamps.

Everything is made to order at our partner factories and inspected before dispatch, with photos and video sent to you. The quote by email confirms the price, the freight, duty, VAT and the lead time, and it holds for 30 days. Prices on the site are guide prices in GBP ex VAT and any quantity is welcome, from one clamp upwards.

If you are still deciding between a clamp and a second truck with forks, the price guide sets the two next to each other, and you can send the load details through the contact page for a written quote.