The forklift has been around since the early part of the 1920's. Since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable equipment for the materials handling industry.
The lift truck is also called a lift truck and was first utilized to lift and move luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout WWII the use of these machines exploded and the warehousing business expanded greatly. The traditional equipment was adapted to deal with the requirements of stacking inventory on higher shelves and they were designed to move faster and lift heavier cargo.
The lift truck is usually utilized for stacking inventory in warehouses. Things for the most part are packed onto pallets that are made particularly to enable the forks to move under the openings of the pallets. The lift truck can then carry the goods securely without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in place, they could be transported easily to another place. Lift trucks are also used much in the mining, agricultural, shipping and docking industry.
Forklifts are usually seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these equipment design them to pick up large heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, other equipment and ceramics. Since it is fairly a compact unit, this specific equipment could move from one place to another at a fairly good speed.
Depending upon the specific model and its intended use, the lift trucks dimensions can differ. There are narrow aisle models particularly for warehouse use. These need the floor to be extremely flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Typically, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machinery in the mining and manufacturing machinery businesses. As forklifts usually deal with flammable materials, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the machines have become more robust and stronger.
The forklifts may have load capacities from 1 to as many as 5 tons. Some heavy duty models have been designed to handle as many as 50 tons. These models are normally utilized to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Lift trucks and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the individuals using this specific equipment. No body can utilize them legally without completing the correct training and documents.