It was in the beginning of the 20th Century when the very first forklifts were introduced. These equipment over the past 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe use, the lift truck's evolution and the various different types are discussed below.
History of Forklifts
Powered industrial trucks are also called lift trucks and forklifts, were originally launched and created in the late 19th Century. These initial units were low lift trucks that were capable of raising platforms just a few inches high. Normally, these kinds of equipment were used for moving material within a shop, like work-in-progress situations. In the late 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and enhancements in truck design started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually evolved and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were really difficult economic times in the 1930s. However, in this period, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation greatly slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
Lift trucks became a very strategic part of the the second World War war effort because the vast shortages in manpower during that time occurred as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was found that a lift truck and its driver could handle the work of numerous men and were really productive. As the War progressed, a lot of women operators filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, forklifts became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were utilized a lot in the Pacific war efforts. A few 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 known as the world's largest pallet pooling business.
Gasoline/Diesel
There are numerous benefits to utilizing a gas or diesel powered engine. They are always available all around the world; they are perfect for heavy duty workloads, they deliver consistent power throughout the shift and numerous drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the main disadvantages of gasoline and diesel units comprise: they need a lot more maintenance compared to electric models, because of the emissions they release, they are not suitable for indoor applications, there is some cost and difficulty associated to oil and fluid disposal and they require a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be used always.