It was during the beginning of the 20th Century when the first lift trucks were introduced. These machines over the past 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling industry. The considerations for safe operation, the lift truck's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Forklifts
Powered industrial trucks are also called forklifts and lift trucks, were originally launched and invented in the late 19th Century. These first models were low lift trucks that were capable of raising platforms only a few inches from the ground. Normally, these types of equipment were used for moving material in a store, such as work-in-progress situations. During the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and truck design improvements started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for greater storage effectiveness and stacking of loads.
There were really tough economic times throughout the 1930s. Nonetheless, throughout this specific 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 really strategic part of the World War II war effort since the vast shortages in manpower in that time occurred as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was discovered that its operator and the lift truck were extremely productive and could handle the work of many men. As the War progressed, many women operators filled the many demands. When the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were used 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 referred to as the world's biggest pallet pooling business.
Diesel/Gasoline
There are many advantages to utilizing a gas or diesel powered engine. They are always available all over the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are perfect for heavy duty workloads and a lot of operators are quite familiar with the source of power.
Several of the diesel and gas engines disadvantages consist of: they require a lot more maintenance than electric versions, because of the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be used inside, there is some cost and difficulty associated to disposal of oil and fluid and they require a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be used always.