Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classed as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many makes and models of lift truck would have a different design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane as they will be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they generate.
Normally, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are like automobile engines since they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
When the operator starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air coming from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the propane and air mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With very exact timing, the alternator and battery of the engine generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.