Forklifts were launched onto the market during the start of the 20th Century. These machinery have played a hugely powerful role in the recycling business and have also changed the material handling business. The factors for safe use, the forklift's evolution and the many different types are discussed below.
History of Forklifts
Powered industrial trucks are also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were originally launched and created in the late 19th Century. These first units were low lift trucks that could raise platforms only several inches from the ground. Usually, these types of equipment were utilized for transporting material inside a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and truck design improvements began to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for greater storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were extremely tough economic times during the 1930s. Nonetheless, in this period, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly more difficult to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
During World War II, forklifts became a strategic part of the war effort. In that period, vast shortages in manpower occurred resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that its driver and the lift truck were very productive and can deal with the work of many men. As the War progressed, a lot of women operators filled the many demands. By the time the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling industry. They were utilized a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Some of the leftover pallets and forklifts within Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool or CHEP, who today is referred to as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Gasoline/Diesel
Gasoline and diesel engines have many advantages. They are readily available around the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are great for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the diesel and gas engines disadvantages consist of: they require much more maintenance compared to electric units, because of the emissions they release, they are not suitable for indoor applications, there is some difficulty and cost associated to oil and fluid disposal and they need a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be used always.