Lift trucks were launched onto the market during the beginning of the 20th Century. These equipment have played a tremendously powerful part within the recycling industry and have also revolutionized the material handling industry. The factors for safe operation, the forklift's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Forklifts
These powered industrial trucks, also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were created and introduced to the market in the late 19th century. Originally, these units were low lift trucks which were only capable of raising platforms several inches from the ground. Usually, these equipment were used for moving material within a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and improvements in truck design started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
In the 1930s, there were some really difficult economic times. However, in this specific period, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly more difficult to come by. This situation greatly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
Lift trucks became a really strategic part of the the second World War war effort as the vast shortages in manpower in that time occurred as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was found that a lift truck and its operator can deal with the work of numerous men and were very productive. As the War continued, many women drivers filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and lift trucks in Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is referred to as the world's largest pallet pooling business.
Diesel/Gasoline
There are many advantages to utilizing a diesel or gas powered engine. They are always available around the globe; they are great for heavy duty workloads, they deliver consistent power throughout the shift and many operators are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the gas and diesel engines drawbacks include: they need a lot more maintenance than electric versions, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be utilized indoors, there is some difficulty and cost associated to disposal of oil and fluid and they require a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.