Forklifts are used within warehousing, manufacturing, construction, mining and material handling applications to lift, engage and transport palletized loads. Forklifts have 3 main kinds: a manual drive, motorized drive and fork truck. The travel or load movement is powered manually or by walking behind the equipment with manual-drive forklifts.
The motorized forklift models come complete with a motorized drive and in a lot of cases have a seat or protected cab in their design to keep the operator comfortable and safe. Fork trucks are another kind which are motorized and comprise features such as cabs and backup alarms. In order to prevent the machine from tipping over, several forklifts are counterbalanced. Other models comprise safety rails, a rotating element like a turntable or other types of hand rails.
Essential specifications to take into account when choosing lift trucks consist of stroke and lift capacity. Stroke is defined as the difference between the fully-lowered and the fully-raised lift positions. Lift capacity is the maximum, supportable load or forcforce or load. Additional specifications for forklifts comprise their tire and fuel type.
Different fuel options for forklifts include: LP or liquid propane, CNG or compressed natural gas, propane, diesel fuel, gasoline and natural gas. There are 2 basic kinds of tires used for operating forklifts and fork trucks: solid and pneumatic. Cushion or solid tires do not puncture and need less maintenance than pneumatic tires. The cushion or solid tires do provide less shock absorption in general. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires however provide great load-cushioning and drive traction.
For forklifts, there are 7 classes. Class 1 lift trucks include electric-motor rider trucks, stand-up or seated 3 wheeled units. Typically, rider units are counterbalanced and may have either cushion or pneumatic wheels. Class II forklifts are electric motor units which are used for stock applications or order picking in narrow aisle environments. These kinds of forklifts provide extra reach functions or swing mast.
Forklift Class III lift trucks consist of walk-behind or standing-rider operated electric-motor trucks. Automated pallet lift trucks and high lift models are normally counterbalanced units. Class IV lift trucks have seated controls and cabs. These types of forklifts are rider fork trucks with IC or internal combustion engines. In addition, this class uses solid or cushion tires.
Class V forklifts are rider fork trucks. They have seated controls and cabs, pneumatic tires and IC or internal combustion engines. Similar to Class IV lift trucks, they are normally counterbalanced. Class VI lift trucks are tow tractor lifts that are designed for a sit-down rider. This class is supplied with electric or IC or internal combustion engines.
Lastly, Class VII forklifts are the ideal choice for use on rough terrain areas. They are a common feature in logging, agricultural and construction applications. Class VII lift trucks include all burden carriers and employee carriers.