The forklift has been around since the early part of the 1920's. Since its inception, the forklift has become an indispensable machinery for the materials handling business.
Sometimes called lift trucks, one of their initial uses was lifting and moving luggage at airports and train stations. Throughout the Second World War using these machinery exploded and the warehousing business expanded significantly. The conventional machinery was adapted to deal with the requirement to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were designed to lift heavier cargo and move faster.
Normally, forklift trucks are utilized for stacking inventory in warehouses. In the majority of cases, objects are packed onto pallets that make it ideal for the tines to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The lift truck could then securely lift the cargo without it wobbling or falling onto the ground. When the pallets are in position, they can be transported easily to a different place. Forklifts are also utilized a lot within the mining, agricultural, docking and shipping business.
Forklifts are usually seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these equipment design them to lift big heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, other equipment and ceramics. Because it is fairly a compact unit, this machinery can move from one location to a different place at a moderately good speed.
The dimensions of the lift truck differ depending on the unit and its particular use. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck units. These need the floor to be really flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Normally, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these machines in the manufacturing and mining machinery businesses. Because lift trucks often deal with flammable supplies, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the machines have become more durable and stronger.
Forklifts have a load capacity varying from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty units which could handle up to 50 tons. These units are usually used to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the individuals using this specific machine. No body can operate them legally without completing the correct documents and training.