“Floor loading” is often a misunderstood term. It is a measurement of the amount of weight a floor can withstand under given load conditions. Only qualified architectural or civil engineers can determine floor loading. Wheel loading, the amount of weight carried on each wheel of an industrial truck, is one of the factors used to determine floor loading. “Wheel loading” is not synonymous with “floor loading.”
The Industrial Truck Association and the American Institute of Architectural Engineering agree that “Building construction varies widely, and it is impossible to make a precise recommendation without a detailed technical study of the building involved. It is always recommended that a qualified civil or architectural engineer study the building in question to determine the weight of the truck that would be permissible under the specific conditions involved.” This is also the position of CLARK.
There is no simple rule or formula that will allow you calculate floor loads and you should not try to devise one. If floor loading stipulations are necessary, a civil or architectural engineer should compute them based on truck specification data available or provided by CLARK.
Wheel (or axle) loading data are supplied on specification sheets for current production CLARK models, as well as many older models. If you require floor loading information, however, it is your responsibility to have this done by a qualified civil engineer or architect.
CLARK current production model specification sheets provide front and rear axle weights in the both the loaded and unloaded condition, as well as tire information. This is all the information you will normally need for a civil engineer or architect to determine the suitability of a lift truck on a given floor or slab. This information applies to both cushion (solid) and pneumatic tire trucks.
