Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same category wherein lawnmowers are categorized. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various lift truck brand names and models will have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane because they would be utilized for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be unsuitable due to the exhaust they make.
Usually, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to automobile engines since they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
When the operator starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air that 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 a precise sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With very exact timing, the engine's battery and alternator create an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.