The forklift has been around ever since the early part of the 1920's. Since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable machinery for the materials handling business.
The forklift is also called a forklift and was first utilized to carry and transport luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout WWII using these machines exploded and the warehousing industry expanded greatly. The traditional machine was adapted to handle the requirement to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were made to lift heavier cargo and move faster.
Usually, forklift trucks are used for stacking inventory within warehouses. In most cases, things are packed onto pallets that make it ideal for the blades to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The forklift can then securely lift the goods without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in place, they could be easily transported to a different place. Lift trucks are also used much within the agriculture, mining, docking and shipping industry.
Lift trucks are normally seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these equipment make them to pick up huge heavy boxes and concrete slabs, heavy pipes, other equipment and ceramics. Because it is quite a compact unit, this machine could move from one place to a different place at a moderately good speed.
The dimensions of the forklift vary depending on the unit and its particular application. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck models. These require the floor to be really flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Normally, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machinery within the mining and manufacturing equipment businesses. As forklifts normally handle flammable supplies, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the machines have become more durable and tougher.
The forklifts may have load capacities from 1 to as many as 5 tons. Some heavy duty models have been made to deal with as many as 50 tons. These models are usually used to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are particularly regulated to ensure the safety of the people using this particular machinery. No body could operate them legally without completing the proper training and documents.