It was in the beginning of the 20th Century when the first lift trucks were introduced. These machines over the last 90 plus years has changed the material handling industries and even the recycling industry. The considerations for safe operation, the lift truck's evolution and the many different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as forklifts and lift trucks, were invented and introduced to the market during the latter part of the 19th century. Originally, these units were low lift trucks that were only capable of raising platforms several inches from the ground. Usually, these types of equipment were used for transporting material inside a shop, such as work-in-progress situations. During the late 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and truck design improvements started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were really hard economic times throughout the 1930s. However, in this specific time, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly harder to come by. This situation really slowed the growth of forklift usage.
In WWII, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. During that period, vast shortages in manpower occurred resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that its driver and the forklift were very productive and could deal with the work of many men. As the War progressed, lots of women operators filled the numerous 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. Some of the leftover pallets and forklifts in Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is referred to as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Gasoline/Diesel
Diesel and gasoline engines have a lot of advantages. They are readily available all over the world; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are suitable for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Several of the gas and diesel engines disadvantages comprise: they need much more maintenance than electric versions, because of the emissions they release, they are not suitable to be utilized indoors, there is some difficulty and cost associated to fluid and oil disposal and they need a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be used always.