In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of machines that operators use to shuttle supplies from one place to another are known as forklifts. The equipment lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Sometimes, forklifts are also known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
Companies such as Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark marketed the first forklifts during the early part of the 1900s. Nowadays the majority of supplies are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are normally found in warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are utilized for the smooth operation of business.
Some of the various types of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also known as "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, like for example the articulated counterbalance truck. This particular hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles because it could offload and onload within really tight spaces.
The Guided Very Narrow Aisle Trucks are capable of lifting as high as 12 meters, and even up to 30 meters if it is a "non top-tied" version. These types of trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This equipment should be utilized only on flat and even floors.