The lift truck has been around ever since the early 1920's. This type of equipment was developed in the 1920s and ever since its creation, has become amongst the most of the indispensable pieces of manufacturing and warehousing machinery within the world.
The forklift is also referred to as a lift truck and was first used to carry and transport baggage at airports and train stations. During WWII utilizing these machines exploded and the warehousing industry expanded greatly. The traditional machinery was adapted to handle the need to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were designed to lift heavier loads and move faster.
The forklift is most commonly used for stacking inventory inside warehouses. Things for the most part are packed onto pallets which are made specially to allow the forks to move underneath the openings of the pallets. The lift truck can then securely carry the load without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in position, they could be easily transported to another place. Forklifts are also used a lot within the agriculture, mining, docking and shipping industry.
The forklift is also seen on constructions locations, as many units have been designed to lift large heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. Since it is fairly a compact unit, this specific equipment is able to move from one place to another at a fairly good speed.
Depending upon the particular model and its intended application, the lift trucks dimensions can vary. There are narrow aisle units specially for warehouse use. These require the floor to be very flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Typically, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these machines within the mining and manufacturing machinery businesses. Since forklifts normally handle pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals and flammable materials, the machinery have become more robust and tougher.
Forklifts have a load capacity ranging from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty models which could handle up to 50 tons. These units are often used to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Lift trucks and their required training to operate are specifically regulated to ensure the safety of the people using this specific machinery. No one is able to operate them legally without finishing the correct documents and training.