The lift truck has been around ever since the early 1920's. Since its inception, the forklift has become an indispensable equipment for the materials handling business.
The forklift is also referred to as a forklift and was initially used to carry and move luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout the Second World War the use of these equipment exploded and the warehousing business expanded greatly. The conventional machine was adapted to handle the need to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were designed to lift heavier loads and move faster.
Most commonly, lift truck trucks are used for stacking inventory within warehouses. In most cases, items are packed onto pallets that make it ideal for the tines to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The forklift could then securely lift the cargo without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in place, they can be transported easily to another location. Forklifts are also utilized a lot within the agriculture, mining, shipping and docking industry.
Lift trucks are normally seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these machines make them to lift large heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. As it is quite a compact unit, this machinery could move from one location to a different place at a fairly good speed.
Depending on the particular unit and its intended application, the lift trucks dimensions may differ. There are narrow aisle models particularly for warehouse applications. These are quite a bit smaller in size and need the floor to be really flat. Normally, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machinery in the manufacturing and mining machinery businesses. Since lift trucks usually handle pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals and flammable supplies, the equipment have become tougher and more robust.
The forklifts may have load capacities from 1 to as many as 5 tons. Some heavy duty models have been designed to handle as many as 50 tons. These units are usually utilized to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the people using this particular equipment. No body could operate them legally without completing the proper documents and training.