Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classed as vehicles with small engines. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many makes and models of forklift would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are powered by propane because they would be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. Much like the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder 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 forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, that compresses the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With extremely precise timing, the alternator and battery of the engine create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing 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 as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.