Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classed as small-engine vehicles. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many makes and models of lift truck will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most modern forklift engines are powered by propane because they will be used indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate because of the exhaust they generate.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to car engines because they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes with air coming from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the engine's battery and alternator generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.