Since their introduction in the material handling business during the 1920s, lift trucks have gone through a huge change. Today, these machines are a lot smarter and stronger. They have revolutionized the material handling arena and have become irreplaceable workhorses within our distribution and warehouse centres all over the world.
The initial forklifts approximately 100 years ago, began as very simple pieces of motorized machinery that were just capable of moving pallet loads from one place to another. Nowadays, extremely sophisticated models are available in the marketplace. These units are available in various weight capacities, numerous lifting heights and different designs. Furthermore, these vehicles come with various ergonomic designs to enhance driver comfort and many new safety features. Keeping the driver as comfortable as possible could really add to the overall production attained 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 equipment to move around and the forks can lift and carry loads. The basic application and design of various kinds of lift trucks used in warehousing operations, manufacturing facilities and distribution facilities is included in this article.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
Counterbalanced Forklifts comprise: Electric forklift units and IC or Internal Combustion units.
Narrow-Aisle Forklifts
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks comprise: Turret Trucks, Reach Trucks and Order-Pickers.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
In this class, Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks are included, as are Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The lift truck is the most common kind of forklift. This unit is the counterbalanced, sit-down version. A weight found in the equipment's back is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Normally, a counterbalanced lift truck has a lifting height of approximately 16 feet, 189 inches is the most popular. What's more, these models are capable of lifting a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced lift trucks are offered with backup alarms and different other kinds of safety features like for instance lights.
Approximately 60% percent are electric units and roughly 40% percent are IC models. Every type of lift truck has a specific place and is ideal to complete a lot of various tasks. Depending on whether or not you will be using the machinery outdoors or indoors and what type of terrain and surfaces you will be operating on, as well as what particular kinds of cargo you would be using determines the type of forklift which you will choose.