Forklifts
In construction, material handling, warehousing and manufacturing operation, forklifts are usually used to move and lift palletized loads. With manual-drive forklifts, the travel or load movement is either walk-behind or powered manually. Motorized drive forklifts have a motorized drive. In various models, the forklift has a protected seat or cab for the operator. Fork trucks have features like backup alarms, and cabs and are also motorized. Several kinds of forklifts are counterbalanced so as to prevent the vehicle from turning over. Other kinds of forklifts are offered with safety rails, or a rotating element like for instance a turntable or a hand rail.
Other specifications which are vital to think about when selecting a forklift include the stroke and lift capacity. Lift capacity is defined as the supportable, maximum force or load. Stroke is defined as the difference between fully raised and fully lowered lift positions.
The type of tire and the type of fuel are also other key specifications that must be considered. The available fuel choices include: natural gas, liquid propane or LP, CNG or compressed natural gas, electricity, gasoline, propane or diesel.
There are two basic kinds of tires utilized for forklifts and fork trucks: pneumatic and solid. The solid or cushion tires need less maintenance compared to pneumatic tires and do not easily puncture. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires offer great drive traction and load-cushioning. At the end of the day, solid or cushion tires offer less shock absorption.
Class VII forklifts are normally designed to be used on rough terrain. These machines are usually used in agriculture, construction and in logging environments. Lastly, Class VIII forklifts include all personnel and burden carriers. Dual Fuel forklifts typically fit in this class.