The lift truck has become such an invaluable piece of machinery found and utilized in most industrial operations and warehousing, since its introduction to the market more than 90 years ago in the 1920's. Among the forklift's pioneers, Clark has grown to become an industry leading supplier in the material handling business. Other popular names in the making of these machines comprise: Hyster, Nissan, Yale Mitsubishi, Cat and Toyota.
The Hyster brand of lift truck has become one of the industries most popular manufacturers. The fact is, in some places, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Various other names for this industrial lifting equipment comprise: fork truck, stacker truck, jitney, high/low and lift truck.
It was in the 19th century that the machine ancestors of the forklift was initially made. At this time, battery-powered, small models were made for the purpose of moving traveler's baggage at the Altoona train station within Pennsylvania. During the First World War, several different types were made in England specifically to be utilized in the material handling industry. These equipment evolved as a solution to the manpower shortage at that time.
The modern equivalents come in a variety of sizes and configurations. There are the large truck-mounted lift truck models that are also referred to as sod loaders and then the opposite end of the spectrum has small hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These models were developed as a way of lowering operational costs and to improve production.
Attachments have been made to fit onto lots of regular lift trucks, giving them the capability of performing a wider selection of tasks. The motors can be IC or internal combustion models, working on propane, diesel or gasoline, or there are battery operated options which require regular charging. Standard warehouse models will normally be rated to raise between approximately 1 and 5 tons.
The forklift has become a priceless component in the material handling business. Thousands of these models are used each and every day throughout the globe to perform tasks that used to require much more man-power. Operators must take stringent training courses in order to operate these heavy machines legally and safely. Numerous workers have longer careers now and better health overall due to their not having to lift things manually anymore because the forklifts are capable of handling those situations now instead.