It was during the beginning of the 20th Century when the very first lift trucks were introduced. These machinery over the past 90 plus years has changed the material handling business and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe use, the lift truck's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also referred to as forklifts and lift trucks, were invented and launched to the market in the latter part of the 19th century. At first, these units were low lift trucks which were only capable of raising platforms several inches high. Usually, these machines were utilized for moving supplies inside a store, such as work-in-progress situations. During the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and truck design improvements started to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately developed and this allowed for greater storage effectiveness and stacking of loads.
There were extremely difficult economic times in the 1930s. Nonetheless, during this time, labor was freely available but money for investment was more and more difficult to come by. This situation greatly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
In WWII, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. During that period, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that its operator and the lift truck were really productive and could handle the work of numerous men. As the War progressed, numerous women operators filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. A few of the leftover pallets and forklifts in Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is referred to as the biggest pallet pooling company in the globe.
Gasoline/Diesel
There are numerous advantages to utilizing a diesel or gas powered engine. They are always available all around the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
A few of the major drawbacks of gasoline and diesel units consist of: they require much more maintenance than electric units, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate for indoor applications, there is some cost and difficulty connected to disposal of fluid and oil and they need a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.