Lift trucks have gone through a major change since their launch to the market in the 1920s. These machines are now much stronger and smarter. They have revolutionized the material handling world and have become exceptional workhorses in our distribution and warehouse facilities all around the world.
The initial lift trucks around 100 years ago, started as really simple pieces of motorized machinery that were only capable of moving pallet loads from one place to another. These days, extremely advanced models are offered in the marketplace. These models are offered in different weight capacities, different designs and numerous lifting heights. In addition, these kinds of machinery come with different ergonomic designs to improve operator comfort and a lot of new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfortable as possible could greatly add to the overall efficiency attained during a shift.
A key feature placed on most of the available lift trucks on the market are forks and tires. Tires allow the equipment to move around and the forks could lift and carry loads. The basic design and application of different types of forklifts used in manufacturing centers, distribution centers and warehousing operations is covered in this particular article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Forklifts consist of: Electric forklift units as well as IC or Internal Combustion units.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Forklifts consist of: Reach Trucks, Order Pickers and Turret Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
Pallets Jacks include Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks as well as Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common type of lift truck is the sit-down counterbalanced kind of the forklift. A weight situated in the machine's rear is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced forklifts will typically have lifting heights of roughly 16 feet, or 189 inches. Furthermore, these models are capable of lifting a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced forklifts come outfitted with backup alarms and various other kinds of safety features such as lights.
The lift truck market is now divided into around 60 percent electric units, with 40 percent Internal Combustion units. Each and every kind of forklift has a particular place and is best to complete a lot of different tasks. Depending on whether or not you would be using the machinery outdoors or inside and what kind of terrain and surfaces you would be operating on, as well as what particular types of cargo you would be using determines the type of lift truck that you would choose.