The forklift has been around since the early part of the 1920's. This kind of equipment was created during the 1920s and ever since its invention, has become amongst the most of the indispensable pieces of warehousing and manufacturing equipment within the world.
Sometimes referred to as lift trucks, amongst their initial uses was carrying and moving luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout the Second World War using these equipment exploded and the warehousing business expanded significantly. The traditional machinery was adapted to handle the requirements of stacking inventory on higher shelves and they were made to move faster and lift heavier cargo.
Usually, lift truck trucks are utilized for stacking inventory within warehouses. In most cases, objects are packed onto pallets which make it ideal for the tines to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The forklift could then carry the load securely without it falling into the ground or wobbling. When the pallets are in position, they could be easily transported to a different location. Forklifts are also utilized a lot within the mining, agricultural, docking and shipping industry.
Forklifts are usually seen on construction sites. The manufacturers of these machines design them to lift large heavy boxes and concrete slabs, heavy pipes, ceramics and other equipment. Because it is quite a compact unit, this machine could move from one place to a different place at a fairly good speed.
The dimensions of the lift truck differ depending on the unit and its particular application. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck units. These require the floor to be extremely flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Typically, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a significant increase in these machinery within the mining and manufacturing machinery industries. Because lift trucks often deal with flammable supplies, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the equipment have become tougher and more durable.
Lift trucks have a load capacity varying from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty models which could handle up to 50 tons. These units are usually 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 individuals using this specific machinery. No body can use them legally without completing the proper training and documents.