Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the numerous makes and models of lift truck would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane since they would be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate due to the exhaust they produce.
Usually, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are like car engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Once the operator starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the propane and air mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the battery and alternator of the engine generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites resulting in an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, causing 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 cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.