Since their introduction in the material handling industry during the 1920s, forklifts have undergone a huge change. Today, these high tech machines are a lot stronger and smarter. They have revolutionized the material handling world and have become irreplaceable workhorses in our warehouse and distribution centres all around the world.
At first, during their introduction around 100 years ago, lift trucks were very simple pieces of motorized equipment designed to move pallet loads from one place to another. Today, really advanced units flood the marketplace. These units are available in different weight capacities, various designs and many lifting heights. Additionally, these types of equipments are offered with a variety of ergonomic designs to enhance driver comfort and numerous new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfy as possible could really add to the overall productivity accomplished during a shift.
A key feature placed on nearly all of the available lift trucks on the market are tires and forks. Tires enable the machinery to move around and the forks could lift and carry loads. The basic application and design of different types of forklifts utilized in manufacturing facilities, distribution centers and warehousing applications is covered in this particular article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Forklifts include: Electric lift truck models and Internal Combustion or IC units.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks comprise: Reach Trucks, Order Pickers and Turret Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Jacks or Pallet Trucks
In this particular category, Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks are included, as are Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common kind of forklift is the sit-down counterbalanced version of the lift truck. A weight situated in the equipment's rear is responsible for counterbalancing the weight of the load. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced forklifts would typically have lifting heights of around 16 feet, or 189 inches. Moreover, these models can lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced lift trucks are offered with backup alarms and other safety features such as lights.
The forklift market is currently divided into around 60% electric models, with 40 percent IC units. Every kind of forklift has a specific place and is best to complete many different tasks. Depending on whether or not you would be utilizing the machinery outside or inside and what specific kinds of loads you would be utilizing as well as what type of terrain and surfaces you would be operating on determines the type of lift truck that you will select.