Forklifts
In material handling, construction, manufacturing and warehousing applications, forklifts are usually used to transport and raise palletized loads. With manual-drive forklifts, the load or travel movement is either walk-behind or manually powered. Motorized drive forklifts have a motorized drive. In various types of forklifts, the forklift has a protected cab or seat for the driver. Fork trucks include features like for example cabs, and backup alarms and are additionally motorized. Some types of forklifts are counterbalanced in order to prevent the vehicle from turning over. Other types of forklifts are offered with safety rails, or a rotating element like a hand rail or a turntable.
Other factors which are vital to think about when selecting a forklift include the lift capacity and stroke. Lift capacity is defined as the supportable, maximum load or force. Stroke is defined as the difference between fully raised and fully lowered lift positions.
Some of the other important specifications for the forklift include tire type and fuel type. The available fuel choices include: liquid propane or LP, natural gas, CNG or compressed natural gas, electricity, diesel, gasoline or propane.
There are two basic types of tires for forklifts and fork trucks: solid and pneumatic. The solid or cushion tires need less maintenance compared to pneumatic tires and do not puncture as easy. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires provide load cushioning and great drive traction. At the end of the day, solid or cushion tires provide less shock absorption.
Normally utilized on rough terrain are Class VII forklifts. These types of machines are normally utilized in construction, agriculture and in logging environments. Lastly, Class VIII forklifts include all personnel and burden carriers. Dual Fuel forklifts often fit in this class.