The forklift has been around since the early 1920's. Since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable equipment for the materials handling industry.
The lift truck is also referred to as a lift truck and was initially used to lift and move luggage at train stations and airports. During the Second World War utilizing these equipment exploded and the warehousing business expanded greatly. The conventional machinery was adapted to handle the need to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were made to move faster and lift heavier loads.
Usually, forklift trucks are utilized for stacking inventory inside warehouses. In most cases, items are packed onto pallets which make it ideal for the tines to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The lift truck could then lift the goods securely without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in place, they could be easily transported to another location. Lift trucks are also utilized a lot in the shipping, docking, mining and agricultural business.
The lift truck is also seen on constructions locations, as many units have been made to lift large heavy boxes and concrete slabs, heavy pipes, other equipment and ceramics. Since it is fairly a compact unit, this machine is able to move from one place to a different place at a moderately good speed.
The dimensions of the forklift vary depending on the model and its particular application. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck models. These are quite a bit smaller in size and need the floor to be very flat. Usually, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these machines within the mining and manufacturing equipment businesses. As forklifts often deal with pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals and flammable materials, the machines have become more durable and stronger.
Lift trucks have a load capacity varying from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty units that can handle up to 50 tons. These models are often used to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Lift trucks and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the individuals utilizing this specific equipment. No body could operate them legally without finishing the correct documents and training.