Forklift trucks have been around for numerous years. Ever since its inception, the forklift has become an indispensable equipment for the materials handling business.
Sometimes called lift trucks, one of their initial uses was lifting and moving luggage at train stations and airports. During WWII utilizing these equipment exploded and the warehousing business expanded significantly. The traditional machine was adapted to handle the requirements of stacking inventory on higher shelves and they were made to lift heavier loads and move faster.
The lift truck is usually used for stacking inventory inside warehouses. Items for the most part are packed onto pallets that are designed specifically to enable the forks to move beneath the openings of the pallets. The lift truck could then carry the load securely without it wobbling or falling onto the ground. When the pallets are in position, they could be transported easily to a different place. Forklifts are also utilized much in the shipping, docking, agriculture and mining industry.
Lift trucks are normally seen on construction locations. The manufacturers of these machinery design them to lift big heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. Since it is fairly a compact unit, this particular machine is able to move from one location to a different place at a fairly good speed.
Depending on the specific model and its intended use, the forklifts dimensions could vary. There are narrow aisle units specifically for warehouse applications. These need the floor to be extremely flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Typically, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these equipment within the manufacturing and mining equipment industries. As forklifts often deal with flammable materials, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals, the machinery have become more robust and tougher.
Lift trucks have a load capacity varying from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty models that could handle up to 50 tons. These models are often utilized to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the people utilizing this particular machine. No one is able to utilize them legally without completing the correct training and documents.