Forklifts
In construction, material handling, warehousing and manufacturing operation, forklifts are commonly used to transport and lift palletized loads. With manual-drive forklifts, the load or travel movement is either walk-behind or manually powered. Motorized drive forklifts have a motorized drive. In numerous models, the forklift has a protected seat or cab for the operator. Fork trucks have features such as backup alarms, and cabs and are additionally motorized. Some models of forklifts are counterbalanced so as to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. Other models come outfitted with safety rails, or a rotating element like a hand rail or a turntable.
The lift capacity and stroke are other specification which you must take into consideration when selecting a kind of forklift. Lift capacity is defined as the supportable, maximum load or force. Stroke is defined as the difference between fully raised and fully lowered lift positions.
The type of tire and the type of fuel are also other vital specifications which should be considered. The available fuel choices include: natural gas, liquid propane or LP, electricity, compressed natural gas or CNG, diesel, gasoline or propane.
There are two basic types of tires for fork trucks and forklifts: pneumatic and solid. The solid or cushion tires need less maintenance compared to 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, cushion or solid tires offer less shock absorption.
Class VII forklifts are generally designed to be utilized on rough terrain. These types of machines are often used in agriculture, construction and in logging environments. Last of all, Class VIII forklifts include all burden and personnel carriers. Dual Fuel lift trucks often fit in this class.