Forklifts have gone through a major evolution since their introduction to the market during the 1920s. These machines are now a lot smarter and stronger. They have revolutionized the material handling world and have become irreplaceable workhorses within our distribution and warehouse centres all around the world.
Initially, during their launch about 100 years ago, forklifts were very simple pieces of motorized machinery made to move pallet loads from one place to another. Today, really sophisticated units flood the marketplace. These units are offered in a wide array of weight capacities, many lifting heights and various designs. Additionally, these kinds of vehicles are available with different ergonomic designs to improve driver comfort and lots of new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfortable as possible could greatly increase the overall efficiency attained during a shift.
A key feature placed on the majority of the available lift trucks on the market are forks and tires. Tires allow the machine to move around and the forks could carry and lift loads. The basic application and design of different kinds of lift trucks utilized in distribution facilities, warehousing applications and manufacturing centers is covered in this particular article.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
Counterbalanced Forklifts include: Internal Combustion or IC units, as well as Electric Trucks.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Forklifts consist of: Reach Trucks, Order Pickers and Turret Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
In this particular class, Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks are included, as are Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common type of forklift is the counterbalanced sit-down type of the forklift. A weight located in the back of this machine is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced forklifts would usually have lifting heights of around 16 feet, or 189 inches. Also, these models can lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced forklifts come outfitted with backup alarms and different other types of safety features such as lights.
The forklift market is now divided into roughly 60 percent electric units, with 40 percent Internal Combustion units. Every type of lift truck has a particular place and is ideal to complete lots of different jobs. Depending on whether or not you will be utilizing the machinery outdoors or indoors and what type of surfaces and terrain you would be operating on, as well as what specific types of loads you would be using determines the type of forklift that you will pick.