Lift trucks are utilized to raise, engage and transport palletized loads within warehousing, manufacturing, material handling, mining and construction applications. There are 3 main kinds of forklifts: a manual drive, motorized drive and fork truck. The travel or load movement is powered manually or by walking at the rear of the machinery with manual-drive lift trucks.
Motorized-drive model lift trucks are complete with a motorized drive. In a lot of instances, a protected cab or seat is part of the design in order to keep the operator safe and comfortable. Fork trucks are a different kind that are motorized and comprise features such as backup alarms and cabs. In order to prevent the machinery from overturning, several forklifts are counterbalanced. Other kinds of forklifts comprise safety rails, a rotating element such as a turntable or other types of hand rails.
Important specifications to take into account when choosing lift trucks consist of stroke and lift capacity. Stroke is defined as the difference between the fully-raised and the fully-lowered lift positions. Lift capacity is the supportable, maximum load or forcforce or load. Other specifications for lift trucks consist of their tire and type of fuel.
Different fuel options for forklifts comprise: LP or liquid propane, CNG or compressed natural gas, diesel fuel, propane, gasoline and natural gas. There are 2 major types of tires utilized for operating fork trucks and forklifts: solid and pneumatic. Solid or cushion tires do not puncture and need less maintenance than pneumatic tires. The solid or cushion tires do provide less shock absorption overall. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires however provide great load-cushioning and drive traction.
There are 7 classes of lift trucks. The first class of forklifts, Class I, is either stand-up or seated 3 wheeled units which are electric-motor rider trucks. Usually, rider units can have either cushion or pneumatic wheels and are counterbalanced. Class II lift trucks are electric motor units that are used for stock applications or order picking in narrow aisle setting. These kinds of forklifts provide extra reach functions or swing mast.
Class III forklifts are either walk-behind or standing-rider operated electric-motor trucks. Automated pallet lift trucks and high lift models are usually counterbalanced units. Class IV forklifts have cabs and seated controls. These types of forklifts are rider fork trucks with internal combustion or IC engines. Moreover, this class has cushion or solid tires.
Rider fork Trucks are included in Class V. These machinery will have seated controls and cabs, pneumatic tires and internal combustion or IC engines. Similar to Class IV lift trucks, they are usually counterbalanced. Class VI forklifts are tow tractor lifts which are designed for a sit-down rider. This particular class is supplied with electric or internal combustion or IC engines.
Finally, 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 consist of all burden carriers and employee carriers.