Ever since its introduction during the early 1920s, the lift truck has become an invaluable piece of machinery found in numerous industrial operations and warehousing. Clark, one of the pioneers of the very first forklift, has grown to become a leader within the material handling business and still remains a leading supplier. Various other popular names in the manufacturing of these equipment comprise: Hyster, Nissan, Yale Mitsubishi, Cat and Toyota.
The Hyster type of lift truck has become one of the industries most popular manufacturers. In fact, in some regions, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Various other names for this industrial lifting equipment include: fork truck, stacker truck, high/low, lift truck and jitney.
The ancestor of today's machines was first made during the early part of the 19th century. At this time, battery-powered, small units were made for the purpose of moving traveler's luggage within Pennsylvania at the Altoona train station. During WWI, several different versions were developed within England specially to be utilized in the material handling business. These machinery evolved as a solution to the manpower shortage at that time.
Today's machines come in many sizes and configurations. Sod loaders are big truck-mounted lift truck units and several of the bigger machinery, while the smaller machines consist of hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These units were made as a way of lowering operational costs and to improve productivity.
A regular forklift is able to utilize a huge array of attachments that are capable of being added for a range of specific functions. The motors could be internal combustion or IC units, running on diesel, gasoline or propane, or there are battery operated options that need regular charging. Typical warehouse models will usually be rated to lift between about 1 and 5 tons.
The lift truck has become a priceless component within the material handling industry. Many of these models are utilized every day all over the world to complete jobs that used to require much more man-power. Operators should take stringent training courses in order to run these heavy equipment legally and safely. Lots of workers have better health overall and longer careers now due to their not having to raise things manually anymore because the forklifts are capable of handling those situations now instead.