What Is This?

Google "Forklift Klaus".

Looks like some sort of hydraulic drive....What are the pipes sticking out? Can you turn the ends?

No.

its not hydraulic , it is a reduction drive possibly with planetary gears inside , reduction ratio is about 70:1 the shaft sticking up in the middle looks like it should have universal joints bolted to it for the input shaft.

those two round bars sticking out are pivot shafts so the whole assembly can pivot to accommodate uneven ground that the machine traverses over.

it looks like a forklift rear axle however the hubs are not " steered" like a forklift would use .

It is an axle with flanged hubs to bolt wheels to , i cant tell if it has a differential inside yet , my small levers i put on both flanges couldnt get them to turn independently which would have proven the existance of a diff' .

there are no brake drums fitted .....

http://articles.sae.org/7621/

http://www.glpower.com/files/dana/Dana-Off-highway-condensed-specs.pdf

Unless it is for a 4WD forklift, my guess is it probably is not a forklift axle.

Drive axles are normally rigidly mounted to the frame and transmission on solid tire units, and the flange spacing seems far too small for any outdoor forklift. The apparent articulation points mean this is top driven- not a configuration I've ever seen. Just my 2 cents!

Yes. Maybe it's off a heavy load carrier of some kind , reduction ratio means it's a crawler , the other axle set must have the brakes and steering which is an unusual configuration , or the brakes could have been unified into the drive unit which bolts to that input shaft. Red plastic breathers would confirm its supposed to sit vertically as per the pic. The mystery continues . It probably had an original purchase cost of $10,000 - 20,000 so it's too good to throw away , we would prefer it got recycled back to someone who can use it.

Do you have any "old timers" still working there (particularly in maintenance) that can possibly shed some lite on what kind of equipment there used to be around?? Sounds like you may have a shortage of documentation, but peoples memories can sometimes produce an answer. Have you checked your accounting department - they may have a record of any old "assets" that were once in use.

How does a warehouse operate without some sort of documentation system that depicts what is in it (rhetorical question - NNTR)?

The image is that of a quality assurance problem that the facility would do well to address, otherwise the equipment is scrap, or an eBay (usual disclaimer) auction starting at £0.99. What a way to run a business!

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That's a fair comment and one which I have made myself many times when auditing operating expenses. It's a percentages game , if daily plant revenue is $60,000 - 110,000 per day "in the golden era" it is still favourable maths to hold parts inventory so downtime can be reduced to hours not weeks. But I agree , somewhere in the past , staff changes resulted in poor record keeping.

<...somewhere in the past , staff changes resulted in poor record keeping...>

This is another indicator of a facility that is not well-managed. That's two counts now, and a good reason to post as Anonymous Poster #1. Any more indications, or is that it for today?

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No organisation of size can claim to be 100% perfect in every aspect in every moment. Is Mister "holier than thou" overstating ones awesomeness to any degree ?

P.S. When the economy quietens down and the hectic rush subsides its a perfect time to clean up loose ends ....

Limited Slip Differential.

Looks like some I have seen on Case Equipment.

Could it be from a bob cat or similar type of equipment. Like a small loader or skid steer.

Overhead crane drive?