The cage bottom looks simple but is the load-bearing core. The base frame is made of cross beams, longitudinal beams and panels; the heavier the load and the higher the stack, the more cross beams and the heavier their section must be. Denser reinforcing beams noticeably improve bottom bending resistance, preventing bottom collapse under long-term heavy load.
Forklift pockets — the fork entrances — are designed to make handling smooth. The slot width must match the fork spacing; slot mouths need guides and edge guards so forks don't scrape the mesh on entry. Standard cages leave two-side pockets for stacking use; caster-mounted or heavy-duty setups can reinforce the slot-mouth structure.
The bottom frame welding process is equally key: full welds at cross-beam-to-leg joints, fat welds with no cold welds, and bottom panels lying flat against the frame — only then does the cage stay stable under repeated forklift handling, with no loose rattling.
When producing cages, Nanjing Tongnuo (Xintongnuo) configures the bottom structure by load class and handling method: standard stacking gets reinforced longitudinal beams; heavy-duty scenarios get denser cross beams and thicker panels; mixed AGV-and-forklift scenarios optimize pocket dimensions and bottom flatness. The 9,000 m² factory also takes non-standard customization.
When buying, beyond mesh and wire diameter, ask about the number of beams, plate thickness and pocket dimensions — and best of all, provide your forklift's fork spacing and width. A maker who designs around the actual handling duty cycle gives a cage that lasts long and handles steadily.