Forklifts are machinery that forklift operators use to shuttle supplies from one location to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The equipment carries pallets, also known as skids, that are loaded with objects. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. Forklifts are also sometimes known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing advertised the first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Today most goods are delivered to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are normally found inside manufacturing factories and warehouses, where they are used for the smooth operation of business.
Some of the various kinds of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck; 'Man Down' - utilized for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck which is used for specialized applications. This particular hybrid is recommended for really narrow aisles because it is capable of onloading and offloading within really tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" type could lift up to 30 meters high. These types of trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machine should be used only on floors which are flat and even.