Lift trucks have gone through a major change ever since their launch to the market in the 1920s. These machines are now much smarter and stronger. These kinds of equipment have revolutionized the material handling world and have become irreplaceable workhorses in our distribution and warehouse facilities all over the globe.
The initial lift trucks roughly 100 years ago, started as really simple pieces of motorized machinery which were only capable of transporting pallet loads from one place to another. Nowadays, extremely sophisticated models are offered in the marketplace. These models are available in a wide variety of weight capacities, various designs and numerous lifting heights. Furthermore, these types of machinery are offered with different ergonomic designs to enhance operator comfort and lots of new safety features. Keeping the driver as comfy as possible could greatly increase the overall efficiency attained during a shift.
A key feature placed on the majority of the available lift trucks on the market are tires and forks. Tires allow the machinery to move around and the forks could carry and lift loads. The basic application and design of various types of forklifts utilized in warehousing operations, manufacturing centers and distribution centers is covered in this article.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
Counterbalanced Forklifts comprise: Internal Combustion or IC models, and Electric Trucks.
Narrow-Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Forklifts comprise: Reach Trucks, Order Pickers and Turret Trucks.
Low Lift Pallet Jacks or Pallet Trucks
Pallets Jacks include Electric-Powered Pallet Trucks and Non-Powered Pallet Trucks.
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
The most common type of lift truck is the counterbalanced sit-down kind of the lift truck. A weight found in the back of this equipment is responsible for counterbalancing the load's weight. The counterbalance is what prevents the forklift the truck from tipping over.
Counterbalanced lift trucks would normally have lifting heights of roughly 16 feet, or 189 inches. What's more, these units could lift a range between 4,000 to 6,500 pounds. Counterbalanced lift trucks come outfitted with backup alarms and various other kinds of safety features like lights.
The lift truck market is now divided into about 60% electric models, with 40% Internal Combustion units. Each and every kind of forklift has a particular place and is suited to complete a lot of various tasks. Depending on whether or not you will be using the machinery outdoors or indoors and what specific kinds of cargo you will be using as well as what kind of surfaces and terrain you would be operating on determines the type of forklift that you will choose.