In manufacturing and warehouse environments, the kinds of equipment which drivers use to shuttle supplies from one place to another are known as forklifts. The machine lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is made with forks which insert into the rungs of the pallet. Forklifts are also sometimes known as as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
Companies such as Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark marketed the first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Nowadays the majority of goods are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are commonly found inside manufacturing plants and warehouses, where they are depended upon for the smooth operation of business.
The following are some of the various types of skid lifts or pallets: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also referred to as "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also referred to as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck; 'Man Down' - for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a type of counterbalanced forklift truck that is used for specialized applications. This hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles as it can onload and offload in really tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind could lift up to 30 meters high. These kinds of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machine should just be used on flat and even floors.