Lift trucks were introduced onto the market in the beginning of the 20th Century. These machinery have played a hugely powerful role within the recycling industry and have also changed the material handling industry. The factors for safe use, the lift truck's evolution and the many different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
Powered industrial trucks are also known as forklifts and lift trucks, were originally introduced and invented in the late 19th Century. These first units were low lift trucks which could raise platforms just several inches from the ground. Generally, these kinds of machines were used for moving supplies in a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. During the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and improvements in truck design started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for greater storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
In the 1930s, there were some extremely tough economic times. Nonetheless, during this particular time, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation greatly slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
During World War II, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. During that period, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was discovered that its driver and the forklift could deal with the work of numerous men and were very productive. As the War continued, lots of women drivers filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and forklifts in Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is known as the biggest pallet pooling business in the world.
Diesel/Gasoline
There are numerous benefits to utilizing a gas or diesel powered engine. They are readily available around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are great for heavy duty workloads and lots of drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the gas and diesel engines drawbacks include: they require much more maintenance than electric units, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be used indoors, there is some cost and difficulty associated to disposal of fluid and oil and they require a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be utilized always.