It was during the start of the 20th Century when the very first lift trucks were launched. These equipment over the past 90 plus years has revolutionized the material handling business and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe utilization, the forklift's evolution and the many different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
Powered industrial trucks are also called lift trucks and forklifts, were originally introduced and invented in the latter part of the 19th Century. These first units were low lift trucks that can raise platforms just several inches high. Generally, these kinds of machinery were utilized for moving material inside a shop, like work-in-progress situations. During the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and enhancements in truck design began to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for greater stacking of loads and storage efficiency.
During the 1930s, there were some extremely hard economic times. Nonetheless, during this time, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of forklift usage.
Forklifts became a very strategic part of the World War II war effort as the vast shortages in manpower in that time happened as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was discovered that a lift truck and its driver were really productive and can handle the work of many men. As the War progressed, many women operators filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were utilized 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 CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is known as the biggest pallet pooling business in the globe.
Gasoline/Diesel
There are numerous benefits to using a diesel or gas powered engine. They are always available all around the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are great for heavy duty workloads and numerous operators are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the diesel and gas engines disadvantages include: they need much more maintenance than electric models, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate for indoor applications, there is some difficulty and cost connected to disposal of oil and fluid and they require a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.