Lift trucks were introduced onto the market during the beginning of the 20th Century. These machinery have played a hugely powerful role within the recycling industry and have also revolutionized the material handling industry. The factors for safe operation, the forklift's evolution and the various different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also referred to as lift trucks and forklifts, were invented and launched to the market in the late 19th century. At first, these units were low lift trucks that were just capable of raising platforms a few inches from the ground. Usually, these machines were used for moving material in a store, such as work-in-progress situations. During the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and truck design enhancements started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually evolved and this allowed for better stacking of loads and storage effectiveness.
There were extremely difficult economic times during the 1930s. Nonetheless, throughout this time, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
Lift trucks became a very strategic part of the the second World War war effort as the vast shortages in manpower in that time happened as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was found that a lift truck and its driver were really productive and could deal with the work of numerous men. As the War progressed, many women operators filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were utilized a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and lift trucks within Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is known as the world's biggest pallet pooling business.
Gasoline/Diesel
Diesel and gasoline engines have a lot of benefits. They are always available all around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the gas and diesel engines disadvantages include: they require a lot more maintenance compared to electric models, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be used inside, there is some difficulty and cost connected to disposal of fluid and oil and they require a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.