Forklifts are used to raise, engage and transport palletized loads within manufacturing, warehousing, material handling, construction and mining applications. There are 3 basic types of forklifts: a fork truck, manual drive and motorized drive. The travel or load movement is powered manually or by walking at the rear of the machinery with manual-drive forklifts.
Motorized-drive model lift trucks are equipped with a motorized drive. In lots of instances, a seat or protected cab is part of the design in order to keep the operator safe and comfortable. Fork trucks are another type which are motorized and include features such as backup alarms and cabs. In order to prevent the vehicle from overturning, some forklifts are counterbalanced. Other types of forklifts include safety rails, a rotating element such as a turntable or different kinds of hand rails.
Essential specifications to take into consideration when selecting forklifts consist of stroke and lift capacity. Stroke is defined as the difference between the fully-lowered and the fully-raised lift positions. Lift capacity is the supportable, maximum load or forcforce or load. Additional specifications for lift trucks consist of their tire and fuel type.
Different fuel options for lift trucks consist of: LP or liquid propane, CNG or compressed natural gas, diesel fuel, propane, natural gas and gasoline. There are 2 basic kinds of tires utilized for operating fork trucks and forklifts: pneumatic and solid. Solid or cushion tires do not puncture and need less maintenance compared to pneumatic tires. The cushion or solid tires do offer less shock absorption overall. Air-inflated or pneumatic tires however offer excellent drive traction and load-cushioning.
For lift trucks, there are 7 classes. Class 1 lift trucks incorporate electric-motor rider trucks, seated or stand-up 3 wheeled units. Usually, rider units are counterbalanced and could have either pneumatic or cushion wheels. Class II lift trucks are electric motor units which are utilized for stock applications or order picking in narrow aisle environments. These types of forklifts provide extra reach functions or swing mast.
Class III forklifts are either standing-rider or walk-behind operated electric-motor trucks. Automated pallet lift trucks and high lift models are often counterbalanced units. Class IV forklifts have seated controls and cabs. These types of forklifts are rider fork trucks with internal combustion or IC engines. In addition, this class has cushion or solid tires.
Class V forklifts are rider fork trucks. They have seated controls and cabs, pneumatic tires and internal combustion or IC engines. Similar to Class IV forklifts, they are usually counterbalanced. Class VI forklifts are tow tractor lifts that are designed for a sit-down rider. This class is supplied with internal combustion or IC or electric engines.
Lastly, Class VII lift trucks are the ideal choice for use on rough terrain areas. They are a common feature in construction, logging and agricultural applications. Class VII lift trucks include all employee carriers and burden carriers.