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