Lift trucks are utilized to lift, engage and transport palletized loads in manufacturing, warehousing, material handling, construction and mining applications. There are 3 basic types of forklifts: a manual drive, motorized drive and fork truck. The load movement or travel is powered manually or by walking at the back of the machinery with manual-drive lift trucks.
The motorized forklift models come complete with a motorized drive and in many cases have a protected cab or seat in their design to keep the operator safe and comfortable. Fork trucks are another type which are motorized and comprise features like cabs and backup alarms. In order to prevent the equipment from turning over, some lift trucks are counterbalanced. Other types of forklifts include safety rails, a rotating element like for instance a turntable or other types of hand rails.
When choosing lift trucks, essential specifications to take into account consist of stroke and lift capacity. Stroke is defined as the difference between the fully-raised and the fully-lowered lift positions. Lift capacity is the supportable, maximum load or forcforce or load. Other specifications for lift trucks consist of their fuel type and tire.
Forklifts comprise different fuel options like: LP or liquid propane, compressed natural gas or CNG, diesel fuel, propane, gasoline and natural gas. There are 2 major types of tires utilized for operating forklifts and fork trucks: pneumatic and solid. Cushion or solid tires need less maintenance compared to pneumatic tires and do not puncture. The solid or cushion tires do provide less shock absorption overall. Air-inflated or pneumatic tires however provide excellent drive traction and load-cushioning.
There are 7 classes of lift trucks. The first class of lift trucks, Class I, is either stand-up or seated 3 wheeled units that are electric-motor rider trucks. Typically, rider units are counterbalanced and may have either pneumatic or cushion wheels. Class II lift trucks are electric motor units that are used for order picking or stock applications in narrow aisle environments. These types of forklifts provide extra reach functions or swing mast.
Class III lift trucks are either walk-behind or standing-rider operated electric-motor trucks. High lift models and automated pallet lift trucks are usually counterbalanced units. Class IV forklifts have cabs and seated controls. These models are rider fork trucks with IC or internal combustion engines. In addition, this class has cushion or solid tires.
Rider fork Trucks are included in Class V. These equipment will have cabs and seated controls, pneumatic tires and IC or internal combustion engines. Like Class IV forklifts, they are typically counterbalanced. Class VI forklifts are tow tractor lifts that are designed for a sit-down rider. This class is supplied with electric or internal combustion or IC engines.
Lastly, Class VII lift trucks are the ideal option for use on rough terrain areas. They are a common feature in construction, logging and agricultural applications. Class VII forklifts consist of all employee carriers and burden carriers.