The forklift has been around since the early 1920's. Ever since its inception, the forklift has become an indispensable machinery for the materials handling industry.
The lift truck is also referred to as a forklift and was first utilized to lift and transport luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout WWII utilizing these machines exploded and the warehousing business expanded greatly. The traditional equipment was adapted to deal with the requirement to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were made to move faster and carry heavier cargo.
The forklift is usually used for stacking inventory inside warehouses. Objects for the most part are packed onto pallets which are made particularly to allow the forks to move underneath the openings of the pallets. The forklift could then securely carry the cargo without it falling into the ground or wobbling. When the pallets are in place, they can be transported easily to another location. Lift trucks are also utilized much within the docking, shipping, agriculture and mining industry.
The lift truck is also seen on constructions sites, because many units have been made to pick up big heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. Because it is quite a compact unit, this particular machine can move from one place to a different location at a moderately good speed.
Depending on the particular model and its intended application, the lift trucks dimensions can vary. There are narrow aisle units specially for warehouse use. These are quite a bit smaller in size and need the floor to be extremely flat. Usually, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these machinery in the mining and manufacturing machine businesses. Because forklifts normally deal with flammable supplies, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals, the machinery have become more durable and tougher.
Lift trucks have a load capacity ranging from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty units which could handle up to 50 tons. These models are normally used to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Lift trucks and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the people using this particular machinery. No one is able to legally utilize them without completing the proper documents and training.