Lift truck trucks have been around for many years. Ever since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable machine for the materials handling industry.
Sometimes called forklifts, among their initial uses was carrying and transporting luggage at train stations and airports. During the Second World War utilizing these machinery exploded and the warehousing industry expanded significantly. The conventional equipment was adapted to handle the need to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were made to move faster and lift heavier loads.
Most commonly, forklift trucks are used for stacking inventory within warehouses. In the majority of cases, objects are packed onto pallets that make it ideal for the tines to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The forklift can then carry the load securely without it wobbling or falling onto the ground. Once the pallets are in position, they could be transported easily to a different location. Lift trucks are also used a lot within the shipping, docking, agriculture and mining industry.
The forklift is also seen on constructions sites, because many models have been designed to pick up large heavy boxes and concrete slabs, heavy pipes, other equipment and ceramics. As it is quite a compact unit, this specific machinery can move from one place to another at a fairly good speed.
The dimensions of the lift truck vary depending on the unit and its specific use. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck models. These are quite a bit smaller in size and need the floor to be very flat. Normally, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these equipment in the mining and manufacturing machine businesses. As lift trucks often handle petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals and flammable supplies, the machines have become more durable and stronger.
Forklifts have a load capacity varying from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty units that could handle up to 50 tons. These models are often used to load shipping equipment off of and into ships. Lift trucks and their required training to operate are specifically regulated to ensure the safety of the people utilizing this specific equipment. No body could legally utilize them without finishing the correct training and documents.