Push-pull attachment
Also called: push-pull, slip sheet attachment, push/pull
A push-pull attachment is a forklift attachment that grips the tab (lip) of a slip sheet, pulls the load onto wide platens, and pushes it off at the destination. It lets unit loads be handled on slip sheets instead of pallets.
In depth: Slip sheet: the thin pallet alternative, sizes, tabs and materials
The attachment replaces normal forks with wide, thin platens, a gripper bar that clamps the slip sheet's tab, and a faceplate that pushes the load off.
How it works
- The gripper clamps the slip sheet tab.
- The mechanism pulls the load back onto the platens.
- The truck carries the load like a palletized load.
- At the destination the faceplate pushes the load off, leaving it on its sheet.
Why it matters
Slip sheets save weight and space compared with pallets: sources cite about 12 to 15% more product per container. The trade-off is equipment: every site that handles the load needs a push-pull attachment, or must transfer the load to a pallet. Slip sheets also give the load less support than a pallet.
Slip sheet sizes for push-pull
| Field | Typical values |
|---|---|
| Common sheet sizes for a 40 × 48 in load | 43 × 51 in and 44 × 52 in |
| Tab (lip) depth | Commonly 3 to 4 in (76 to 102 mm); some sources say 4 to 6 in |
| Tab configuration | 1 side, or 2, 3 or 4 sides for access from different directions |
| Caliper, fiber sheets | About 0.040 to 0.125 in (1.0 to 3.2 mm) |
On a spec sheet or RFQ
If you move from pallets to slip sheets, confirm that each receiver has push-pull equipment. Specify the sheet material, caliper, load area, tab sides and depth. See slip sheets and pallet vs slip sheet.
Common confusions
A push-pull attachment is not a clamp attachment. Clamps squeeze the load's sides and need no sheet or pallet.
Related
- TypesSlip sheet: the thin pallet alternative, sizes, tabs and materialsA slip sheet is a thin sheet of solid fiberboard, corrugated board or plastic used under a unit load instead of a pallet. A push-pull lift truck attachment grips its tab and pulls the load onto its platens. Sheets for a 40 × 48 in load are commonly 43 × 51 or 44 × 52 in with 3–4 in tabs.
- ComparisonsPallet vs slip sheet: cost, cube and handling comparedChoose a slip sheet when you ship high volumes in containers or trucks, both ends have push-pull forklift attachments, and saving weight, cube and pallet cost matters. Choose a pallet when the receiver handles with standard forks or pallet jacks, loads are racked, or handling equipment is unknown.
- GlossaryWhat is a forklift?A forklift is a powered industrial truck that lifts, carries and stacks loads on two steel fork tines inserted into a pallet's openings. Its rated capacity applies at a stated load center, commonly 24 in (610 mm) in the US and 500 mm in Europe.
- GlossaryTier sheetA tier sheet (layer pad) is a flat sheet of corrugated board, solid fiber or plastic placed between layers of a unit load, or on the pallet deck, to spread weight, bridge deck gaps and stabilize the layers. It is not lifted by equipment.
- GlossaryCube utilizationCube utilization is the share of the available volume, in a pallet footprint up to its height limit, a trailer or a container, that is actually filled with product. It is usually expressed as a percentage.
More in Handling and storage
- GlossaryAutomated storageAutomated storage, often called AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system), stores and retrieves pallets with stacker cranes, shuttles and conveyors instead of forklift drivers. It needs pallets with tight dimensional tolerances, low deflection (often 0.5 in, 13 mm, or less) and sound bottom decks.
- GlossaryBlock stackingBlock stacking is storing unit loads directly on top of one another on the warehouse floor, in rows and columns, with no racking. The bottom pallet and the packaging carry the whole stack, so static load and box compression strength limit the height.
- GlossaryConveyorA pallet conveyor moves loaded pallets on driven rollers or chains instead of a forklift. The pallet's bottom deck is the running surface, so the orientation of bottom boards, flatness, deflection and condition decide whether it runs reliably.
- GlossaryDrive-in rackA drive-in rack is high-density racking where the forklift drives into a lane and places pallets many deep on continuous rails along each side. The pallet is supported only along two edges, so its capacity across the unsupported direction governs.
- GlossaryEdge protectorAn edge protector, or corner board, is an L-shaped strip of laminated paperboard, plastic or other material placed on the vertical or top edges of a unit load. It spreads strapping and stretch wrap pressure, protects case corners, and can add vertical stacking strength.
- GlossaryFork tinesFork tines are the two steel arms on a forklift or pallet jack that slide into a pallet's openings to lift it. Their width, thickness, length and spacing set the minimum size of the pallet's openings and affect its dynamic load rating.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 282 words.