Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classed as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many models and makes of forklift would have a different design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are fueled by propane as they will be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate due to the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a forklift. A lot like the engine in small automobiles, the engines of the forklift have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really precise timing, the battery and alternator of the engine produce an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.