Ever since their introduction in the material handling industry in the 1920s, lift trucks have undergone a huge change. These days, these high tech machines are a lot smarter and stronger. They have revolutionized the material handling world and have become irreplaceable workhorses within our warehouse and distribution facilities all over the globe.
Initially, during their launch around 100 years ago, lift trucks were really simple pieces of motorized equipment made to move pallet loads from one place to another. These days, extremely sophisticated models flood the marketplace. These models are available in a wide range of weight capacities, many lifting heights and various designs. Furthermore, these machinery come with various ergonomic designs to enhance driver comfort and many new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfortable as possible can 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 tires and forks. Tires allow the machinery to move around and the forks can lift and carry loads. The basic application and design of various kinds of lift trucks used in distribution facilities, warehousing operations and manufacturing facilities is included in this particular article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Forklifts include: Electric forklift models and IC or Internal Combustion models.
Narrow-Aisle Forklifts
Narrow Aisle Forklifts include: Turret Trucks, Reach Trucks and Order-Pickers.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
Pallets Jacks consist of Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks as well as Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common type of forklift is the counterbalanced sit-down type of the lift truck. A weight situated in the equipment's rear is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Typically, a counterbalanced lift truck has a lifting height of roughly 16 feet, 189 inches is the most popular. Moreover, these models could lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced forklifts come equipped with backup alarms and other safety features like lights.
Around 60% percent are electric models and approximately 40% percent are internal combustion models. Every type of forklift has a specific place and is suited to accomplish many various jobs. Depending on whether or not you would be using the machinery outdoors or indoors and what kind of surfaces and terrain you will be operating on, as well as what specific types of loads you will be utilizing determines the type of forklift that you will choose.