The lift truck has been around since the early 1920's. Since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable equipment for the materials handling business.
The forklift is also referred to as a lift truck and was initially utilized to carry and move luggage at airports and train stations. During WWII utilizing these machinery exploded and the warehousing industry expanded greatly. The conventional equipment was adapted to handle the requirements of stacking inventory on higher shelves and they were made to move faster and carry heavier cargo.
Most commonly, forklift trucks are used for stacking inventory in warehouses. In the majority of cases, items 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 securely carry the goods without it falling into the ground or wobbling. When the pallets are in position, they can be easily transported to a different location. Forklifts are also used much within the shipping, docking, mining and agricultural industry.
Forklifts are normally seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these equipment make them to lift huge heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. As it is fairly a compact unit, this specific equipment is able to move from one place to another at a fairly good speed.
Depending on the specific model and its intended use, the lift trucks dimensions could vary. There are narrow aisle units particularly for warehouse applications. These need the floor to be really flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Usually, they are designed with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machinery in the manufacturing and mining machinery industries. Since forklifts normally handle flammable materials, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals, the machines have become more robust and stronger.
The forklifts may have load capacities from 1 to as many as 5 tons. Several heavy duty models have been designed to handle as many as 50 tons. These models are often used to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the people using this specific equipment. No body can use them legally without finishing the correct documents and training.