Lift trucks are utilized to raise, engage and transport palletized loads in warehousing, manufacturing, material handling, mining and construction applications. There are 3 basic kinds of lift trucks: a manual drive, motorized drive and fork truck. The travel or load movement is powered manually or by walking at the rear of the equipment with manual-drive forklifts.
The motorized forklift models come complete with a motorized drive and in lots of cases have a protected cab or seat in their design to keep the operator safe and comfortable. Fork trucks are a different kind which are motorized and comprise features like cabs and backup alarms. In order to prevent the equipment from tipping over, several lift trucks are counterbalanced. Other models consist of safety rails, a rotating element such as a turntable or different kinds of hand rails.
When selecting lift trucks, important specifications to take into consideration 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. Other specifications for lift trucks comprise their tire and type of fuel.
Different fuel options for forklifts comprise: liquid propane or LPG, CNG or compressed natural gas, propane, diesel fuel, natural gas and gasoline. There are 2 basic kinds of tires utilized for operating forklifts and fork trucks: pneumatic and solid. Solid or cushion tires do not puncture and need less maintenance than pneumatic tires. The solid or cushion tires do offer less shock absorption in general. Air-inflated or pneumatic tires however provide excellent drive traction and load-cushioning.
For forklifts, there are 7 classes. Class 1 forklifts incorporate electric-motor rider trucks, seated or stand-up 3 wheeled units. Typically, rider units are counterbalanced and can have either pneumatic or cushion wheels. Class II forklifts are electric motor units which are utilized for order picking or stock applications in narrow aisle setting. These types of forklifts provide extra swing mast or reach functions.
Forklift Class III lift trucks include standing-rider or walk-behind operated electric-motor trucks. Automated pallet lift trucks and high lift models are usually counterbalanced units. Class IV lift trucks have seated controls and cabs. These models are rider fork trucks with IC or internal combustion engines. Furthermore, this class uses solid or cushion 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 normally 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 perfect choice for use on rough terrain areas. They are a common feature in logging, agricultural and construction applications. Class VII lift trucks include all employee carriers and burden carriers.