Lift trucks are used to raise, engage and transport palletized loads within manufacturing, warehousing, material handling, mining and construction applications. There are 3 basic kinds of lift trucks: a manual drive, motorized drive and fork truck. The load movement or travel is powered manually or by walking at the back of the equipment 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 comfortable and safe. Fork trucks are another kind that are motorized and include features like cabs and backup alarms. In order to prevent the vehicle from tipping over, some lift trucks are counterbalanced. Other types of forklifts comprise safety rails, a rotating element like a turntable or different types of hand rails.
When selecting forklifts, important specifications to take into account include stroke and lift capacity. Stroke is defined as the difference between the fully-lowered and the fully-raised lift positions. Lift capacity is the supportable, maximum load or forcforce or load. Additional specifications for forklifts comprise their tire and type of fuel.
Different fuel options for forklifts comprise: LP or liquid propane, compressed natural gas or CNG, diesel fuel, propane, natural gas and gasoline. There are 2 major kinds of tires for operating fork trucks and forklifts: pneumatic and solid. Solid or cushion tires do not puncture and need less maintenance compared to pneumatic tires. The cushion or solid tires do offer less shock absorption overall. Pneumatic or air-inflated tires however offer great drive traction and load-cushioning.
For forklifts, there are 7 classes. Class 1 forklifts incorporate electric-motor rider trucks, seated or stand-up 3 wheeled units. Normally, rider units could have either cushion or pneumatic wheels and are counterbalanced. Class II forklifts are electric motor units which are utilized for stock applications or order picking in narrow aisle setting. These kinds of forklifts provide extra swing mast or reach functions.
Class III forklifts are either standing-rider or walk-behind operated electric-motor trucks. High lift models and automated pallet lift trucks are usually counterbalanced units. Class IV lift trucks have seated controls and cabs. These models are rider fork trucks with internal combustion or IC engines. Furthermore, this class utilizes solid or cushion tires.
Class V lift trucks are rider fork trucks. They have cabs and seated controls, pneumatic tires and internal combustion or IC engines. Like Class IV forklifts, they are usually counterbalanced. Class VI forklifts are tow tractor lifts that are designed for a sit-down rider. This particular class is supplied with internal combustion or IC or electric engines.
Lastly, Class VII forklifts are the perfect option for use on rough terrain areas. They are a common feature in construction, logging and agricultural applications. Class VII forklifts include all burden carriers and personnel carriers.