In manufacturing and warehouse environments, the kinds of equipment that operators use to shuttle supplies from one location to another are known as forklifts. The machinery carries pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with things. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. At times, forklifts are also called Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
The first forklifts were marketed during the early part of the 1900s by companies like Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. Today most supplies are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are usually found within manufacturing factories and warehouses, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
Among the various kinds of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - utilized for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, like for example the articulated counterbalance truck. This hybrid is recommended for really narrow aisles since it is capable of offloading and onloading within really tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind can lift up to 30 meters high. These types of trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machine should only be used on even and flat floors.