Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many models and makes of forklift will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern forklift engines are powered by propane since they will be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
Normally, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to car engines because they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder has a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Once the driver starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Every 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 create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder 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.