It was during the beginning of the 20th Century when the first lift trucks were launched. These equipment over the past 90 plus years has revolutionized the material handling business and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe use, the lift truck's evolution and the many different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
Powered industrial trucks are also referred to as lift trucks and forklifts, were initially launched and invented during the late 19th Century. These initial units were low lift trucks which could raise platforms only several inches from the ground. Usually, these machines were used for moving material inside a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. During the late 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and truck design improvements started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually evolved and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
In the 1930s, there were some really difficult economic times. However, in this period, labor was freely available but money for investment was more and more difficult to come by. This situation greatly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
Lift trucks became a very strategic part of the the second World War war effort because the vast shortages in manpower in that time occurred as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was found that its operator and the forklift could deal with the work of many men and were very productive. As the War progressed, numerous women drivers filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. A few of the leftover pallets and forklifts within Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is referred to as the biggest pallet pooling company in the world.
Diesel/Gasoline
Gasoline and diesel engines have numerous benefits. They are readily available all over the globe; they are perfect for heavy duty workloads, they deliver consistent power throughout the shift and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Several of the diesel and gas engines disadvantages include: they need much more maintenance compared to electric units, due to the emissions they release, they are not suitable for indoor applications, there is some cost and difficulty connected to disposal of fluid and oil and they need a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be used always.