It was in the beginning of the 20th Century when the first forklifts were introduced. These machinery over the last 90 plus years has revolutionized the material handling business and even the recycling business. The factors for safe use, the forklift's evolution and the various different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
Powered industrial trucks are also referred to as forklifts and lift trucks, were initially introduced and created in the latter part of the 19th Century. These initial units were low lift trucks that could raise platforms only several inches from the ground. Normally, these machinery were used for moving supplies in a store, such as work-in-progress situations. During the late 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and truck design enhancements began to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately evolved and this allowed for greater stacking of loads and storage effectiveness.
There were extremely difficult economic times during the 1930s. However, throughout this time, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
Forklifts became a really strategic part of the WWII war effort since the vast shortages in manpower during that time happened as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was discovered that a lift truck and its driver were extremely productive and can deal with the work of many men. As the War progressed, many women drivers filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and forklifts within Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is referred to as the world's biggest pallet pooling business.
Gasoline/Diesel
Diesel and gasoline engines have many advantages. They are readily available around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are great for heavy duty workloads and lots of drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the diesel and gas engines disadvantages comprise: they need a lot more maintenance compared to electric units, because of 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 need a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be used always.