It was in the start of the 20th Century when the first forklifts were launched. These equipment over the past 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe operation, the lift truck's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as forklifts and lift trucks, were created and launched to the market during the late 19th century. Initially, these models were low lift trucks which were only capable of raising platforms several inches high. Normally, these kinds of machines were used for moving material within a shop, like work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and improvements in truck design began to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately evolved and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were extremely difficult economic times throughout the 1930s. Nevertheless, during this period, labor was freely available but money for investment was more and more difficult to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of forklift usage.
During World War II, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. In that era, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that its operator and the lift truck could deal with the work of numerous men and were extremely productive. As the War continued, lots of women drivers filled the many demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were utilized a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and lift trucks within 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 world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Diesel/Gasoline
Diesel and gasoline engines have numerous advantages. They are always available around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and a lot of drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
A few of the major drawbacks of gasoline and diesel units include: they require much more maintenance compared to electric models, because of the emissions they release, they are not suitable to be utilized inside, there is some difficulty and cost associated to oil and fluid disposal and they require a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.