Lift trucks were introduced onto the market during the beginning of the 20th Century. These machinery have played a tremendously powerful part in the recycling industry and have also changed the material handling industry. The considerations for safe use, the lift truck's evolution and the various different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were created and introduced to the market during the latter part of the 19th century. Initially, these units were low lift trucks which were only capable of raising platforms several inches high. Usually, these machinery were utilized for transporting material in a store, like work-in-progress situations. In the late 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and enhancements in truck design began to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately developed and this allowed for better stacking of loads and storage efficiency.
There were extremely difficult economic times in the 1930s. Nevertheless, throughout this time, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly more difficult to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
During World War II, forklifts became a strategic part of the war effort. During that period, vast shortages in manpower occurred resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was discovered that its operator and the forklift were really productive and could handle the work of many men. As the War progressed, many women operators filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Several of the leftover pallets and forklifts within Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is known as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Gasoline/Diesel
Gasoline and diesel engines have many advantages. They are readily available all around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and lots of operators are quite familiar with the source of power.
A few of the major disadvantages of gasoline and diesel units consist of: they require much more maintenance than electric units, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be used inside, there is some cost and difficulty associated to fluid and oil disposal and they need a re-fueling station on-site if they are going to be utilized always.