Ever since their introduction in the material handling business during the 1920s, lift trucks have undergone a huge evolution. Nowadays, these high tech machines are much stronger and smarter. They have revolutionized the material handling world and have become exceptional workhorses within our distribution and warehouse centres all over the world.
The initial lift trucks roughly 100 years ago, started as very simple pieces of motorized machines which were just capable of transporting pallet loads from one place to another. Today, very sophisticated models are offered in the marketplace. These units are offered in a huge array of weight capacities, numerous lifting heights and different designs. Additionally, these kinds of machines are offered with a variety of ergonomic designs to improve driver comfort and many new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfortable as possible could really increase the overall productivity accomplished during a shift.
Among the only remaining universal features that are on the wide variety of forklifts available today are the tires that move the equipment and the forks which are utilized to lift loads. The basic application and design of various kinds of lift trucks utilized in warehousing applications, manufacturing centers and distribution facilities is included in this article.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks comprise: Electric lift truck units and IC or Internal Combustion models.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks comprise: Reach Trucks, Order Pickers and Turret Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
Pallets Jacks comprise Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks as well as Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common kind of forklift is the counterbalanced sit-down type of the lift truck. A weight found in the machine's rear is responsible for counterbalancing the weight of the load. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced forklifts will usually have lifting heights of around 16 feet, or 189 inches. As well, these units are capable of lifting a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced lift trucks come outfitted with backup alarms and various other types of safety features like lights.
The lift truck market is currently divided into roughly 60% electric units, with 40% IC units. Each type of forklift has a specific place and is suited to accomplish many different jobs. Depending on whether or not you will be using the machine 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 kind of forklift which you would choose.