Lift trucks have undergone a major change since their launch to the market in the 1920s. These machines are now much smarter and stronger. These kinds of machinery have revolutionized the material handling arena and have become irreplaceable workhorses within our warehouse and distribution centres all over the globe.
The initial lift trucks around 100 years ago, started as very simple pieces of motorized machinery which were just capable of moving pallet loads from one place to another. Nowadays, extremely advanced models are offered in the marketplace. These units are available in a wide variety of weight capacities, numerous lifting heights and different designs. In addition, these types of machines come with a range of ergonomic designs to enhance operator comfort and many new safety features. Keeping the operator as comfortable as possible can really increase the overall productivity accomplished during a shift.
A key feature placed on most of the available lift trucks on the market are forks and tires. Tires allow the equipment to move around and the forks could carry and lift loads. The basic design and application of different kinds of forklifts utilized in distribution centers, warehousing applications and manufacturing centers is included in this specific article.
Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Counterbalanced Forklifts consist of: Internal Combustion or IC models, as well as Electric Trucks.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Forklifts consist of: Order-Pickers, Turret Trucks and Reach Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Jacks or Pallet Trucks
Pallets Jacks consist of Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks as well as Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The lift truck is the most common type of lift truck. This model is the sit-down, counterbalanced version. A weight situated in the rear of this machinery is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced lift trucks would usually have lifting heights of roughly 16 feet, or 189 inches. As well, these models could lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced forklifts come equipped with backup alarms and different other types of safety features such as lights.
The lift truck market is currently divided into about 60% electric models, with 40 percent IC units. Every kind of forklift has a specific place and is ideal to accomplish many different jobs. Depending on whether or not you will be using the machinery outdoors or indoors and what specific kinds of cargo you would be using as well as what kind of surfaces and terrain you would be operating on determines the type of lift truck that you will select.