Ever since its introduction in the early 1920s, the lift truck has become an important piece of machinery found in many industrial operations and warehousing. Clark, amongst the pioneers of the first forklift, has grown to become a leader within the material handling industry and still remains a top supplier. Various other well-known names in the making of these equipment comprise: Yale, Hyster, Nissan Cat, Toyota and Mitsubishi.
The Hyster brand of forklift has become among the industries most popular manufacturers. The truth is, in several regions, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Different other names for this industrial lifting machines include: jitney, high/low, lift truck, fork truck and stacker truck.
The ancestor of today's machines was first developed in the early 19th century. At this time, small, battery-powered units were made for the purpose of transporting traveler's luggage at the Altoona train station within Pennsylvania. In the First World War, several different kinds were developed within England particularly to be utilized in the material handling business. These machinery evolved as a solution to the lack of manpower at that time.
Today's machines come in many configurations and sizes. Sod loaders are large truck-mounted forklift models and some of the larger machines, while the smaller machinery consist of hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions referred to as forklift automated guided vehicles that are practically robotic in nature. These models were developed as a means of lowering operational expenses and to improve productivity.
Attachments have been made to fit onto many regular lift trucks, giving them the capability of performing a wider selection of tasks. The motors could be IC or internal combustion models, working on propane, diesel or gasoline, or there are battery operated options which require regular charging. Typical warehouse models would normally be rated to lift between approximately 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, forklifts have become a priceless component of the material handling business. Many of these units are used each and every day throughout the globe to perform tasks that used to require a lot more man-power. Operators must take stringent training courses in order to safely and legally operate these heavy equipment. A lot of employees have better overall health and longer careers now due to their not having to lift objects manually anymore because the forklifts could handle those situations now instead.