Since their launch in the material handling industry in the 1920s, lift trucks have undergone a huge change. Today, these high tech machines are a lot smarter and stronger. They have changed the material handling arena and have become irreplaceable workhorses in our distribution and warehouse facilities all around the globe.
The initial lift trucks roughly 100 years ago, started as really simple pieces of motorized machines which were only capable of moving pallet loads from one place to another. These days, very sophisticated units are available in the marketplace. These models are offered in a wide array of weight capacities, numerous lifting heights and different designs. In addition, these equipments come with different ergonomic designs to enhance operator comfort and numerous new safety features. Keeping the driver as comfortable as possible can greatly add to the overall productivity accomplished during a shift.
Among the only remaining universal features which are on the wide range of forklifts available nowadays are the tires which move the machinery and the forks that are utilized to pick up loads. The basic application and design of various types of forklifts used in warehousing applications, manufacturing centers and distribution facilities is included in this article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Forklifts comprise: IC or Internal Combustion units, as well as Electric Trucks.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks comprise: Turret Trucks, Reach Trucks and Order-Pickers.
Low Lift Pallet Trucks or Pallet Jacks
In this particular category, Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks are included, as are Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The lift truck is the most common kind of forklift. This unit is the counterbalanced, sit-down type. A weight found in the equipment's back is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced forklifts will usually have lifting heights of roughly 16 feet, or 189 inches. What's more, these models could lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced forklifts come outfitted with backup alarms and different other kinds of safety features like lights.
Approximately 60% percent are electric models and about 40% percent are IC models. Each type of forklift has a particular place and is ideal to complete many different tasks. Depending on whether or not you would be using the machine outside or indoors and what type of terrain and surfaces you would be operating on, as well as what specific types of loads you would be using determines the kind of forklift that you will select.