Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same category wherein lawnmowers are categorized. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck brand names and models will have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern forklift engines are powered by propane as they would be utilized indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a forklift. A lot like the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders containing pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the driver starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is very precise, the battery and alternator of the engine generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.