Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same category in which lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various forklift brand names and models would have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane because they will be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable due to the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is normally found in a forklift. Much similar to the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of every cylinder consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the driver starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, that compresses the air and propane mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is really precise, the engine's battery and alternator produce an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.