Forklifts have gone through a major change ever since their launch to the market in the 1920s. These machines are now a lot smarter and stronger. These types of equipment have revolutionized the material handling world and have become exceptional workhorses in our warehouse and distribution facilities all over the world.
At first, during their launch about 100 years ago, lift trucks were really simple pieces of motorized machinery designed to transport pallet loads from one place to another. Today, very sophisticated units are offered in the marketplace. These units are offered in a huge variety of weight capacities, numerous lifting heights and various designs. In addition, these types of vehicles come with various ergonomic designs to enhance operator comfort and a lot of new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfy as possible could really increase the overall productivity accomplished during a shift.
A key feature placed on the majority of the available lift trucks on the market are forks and tires. Tires enable the machinery to move around and the forks can carry and lift loads. The basic application and design of different kinds of forklifts used in warehousing applications, manufacturing facilities and distribution facilities is included in this article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks consist of: Electric forklift units as well as Internal Combustion or IC units.
Narrow-Aisle Forklifts
Narrow Aisle Forklifts include: Order-Pickers, Turret Trucks and Reach Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
Pallets Jacks comprise Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks and Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common kind of lift truck is the counterbalanced sit-down version of the lift truck. A weight found in the machine's back is responsible for counterbalancing the weight of the load. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Normally, a counterbalanced lift truck has a lifting height of about 16 feet, 189 inches is the most popular. What's more, these models can lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced lift trucks come equipped with backup alarms and other safety features such as lights.
Approximately 60% percent are electric units and roughly 40% percent are internal combustion models. Each kind of forklift has a specific place and is suited to complete a lot of different jobs. Depending on whether or not you would be using the machinery outdoors or indoors and what type of surfaces and terrain you will be operating on, as well as what particular kinds of loads you would be using determines the type of forklift which you would select.