It was in the beginning of the 20th Century when the first lift trucks were launched. These machinery over the past 90 plus years has revolutionized the material handling industries and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe operation, the lift truck's evolution and the many different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
Powered industrial trucks are also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were first introduced and invented during the late 19th Century. These initial models were low lift trucks which could raise platforms just several inches high. Normally, these types of equipment were used for transporting supplies inside a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. In the late 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and improvements in truck design started to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately developed and this allowed for greater storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were extremely difficult economic times in the 1930s. Nevertheless, throughout this specific period, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
During WWII, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. In that period, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that its driver and the lift truck can handle the work of many men and were extremely productive. As the War progressed, a lot of women operators filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, forklifts 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 known as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Diesel/Gasoline
Diesel and gasoline engines have lots of benefits. They are always available around the world; they are great for heavy duty workloads, they deliver consistent power throughout the shift and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the main disadvantages of diesel and gasoline models comprise: they require much more maintenance compared to electric models, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate for indoor applications, there is some cost and difficulty associated to fluid and oil disposal and they require a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.