Forklifts
In material handling, construction, warehousing and manufacturing applications, forklifts are usually used to move and lift palletized loads. With manual-drive forklifts, the travel or load movement is either manually powered or walk-behind. Motorized drive forklifts have a motorized drive. In various models, the forklift has a protected seat or cab for the driver. Fork trucks have features such as backup alarms, and cabs and are additionally motorized. Some types of forklifts are counterbalanced in order to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. Other kinds of forklifts come equipped with safety rails, or a rotating element such as a hand rail or a turntable.
The stroke and lift capacity are other specification that you should take into account when selecting a type of forklift. Lift capacity is defined as the maximum, supportable force or load. Stroke is defined as the difference between completely 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 are: liquid propane or LP, natural gas, electricity, CNG or compressed natural gas, gasoline, propane or diesel.
There are two basic types of tires utilized for forklifts and fork trucks: pneumatic and solid. The cushion or solid tires require less maintenance than pneumatic tires and do not puncture easily. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires provide great drive traction and load-cushioning. At the end of the day, solid or cushion tires provide less shock absorption.
Class VII forklifts are normally designed for use on rough terrain. These kinds of machinery are often utilized in agriculture, construction and in logging environments. Lastly, Class VIII forklifts include all burden and personnel carriers. Dual Fuel forklifts often fit in this class.