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