It was in the start of the 20th Century when the very first lift trucks were introduced. These machines during the past 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling industry. The considerations for safe use, the forklift's evolution and the many different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were invented and introduced to the market during the late 19th century. At first, these units were low lift trucks which were only capable of raising platforms several inches from the ground. Generally, these types of machinery were used for transporting supplies inside a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and improvements in truck design began to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for greater stacking of loads and storage efficiency.
During the 1930s, there were some really hard economic times. Nonetheless, in this period, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
In World War II, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. During that era, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was discovered that a forklift and its operator can deal with the work of numerous men and were extremely productive. As the War continued, numerous women operators filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were utilized a lot in the Pacific war efforts. A few of the leftover pallets and lift trucks within Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is referred to as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Gasoline/Diesel
There are many advantages to using a gas or diesel powered engine. They are readily available all over the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
A few of the main drawbacks of diesel and gasoline models comprise: they need much more maintenance than electric models, because of the emissions they release, they are not appropriate for indoor applications, there is some cost and difficulty connected to disposal of fluid and oil and they need a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be used always.