It was in the beginning of the 20th Century when the very first forklifts were introduced. These machinery over the last 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe utilization, the forklift's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were invented and introduced to the market in the late 19th century. Originally, these models were low lift trucks which were just capable of raising platforms several inches from the ground. Usually, these kinds of machines were utilized for transporting material within a store, such as work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and improvements in truck design began to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately developed and this allowed for better storage effectiveness and stacking of loads.
Throughout the 1930s, there were some really tough economic times. Nevertheless, in this period, labor was freely available but capital for investment was more and more difficult to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
During World War II, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. During that period, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was discovered that its driver and the lift truck were very productive and can deal with the work of numerous men. As the War progressed, many women drivers filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and forklifts within Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is known as the biggest pallet pooling business in the world.
Diesel/Gasoline
Gasoline and diesel engines have lots of benefits. They are always available all around the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are perfect for heavy duty workloads and numerous operators are quite familiar with the source of power.
Several of the gas and diesel engines disadvantages include: they require a lot more maintenance than electric models, due to the emissions they release, they are not suitable for indoor applications, there is some difficulty and cost associated to disposal of oil and fluid and they need a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.