The forklift has been around ever since the early 1920's. Ever since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable machinery for the materials handling business.
The lift truck is also called a forklift and was initially utilized to carry and transport luggage at train stations and airports. During the Second World War the use of these machines exploded and the warehousing business expanded significantly. The traditional machinery was adapted to deal with the requirement to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were made to carry heavier cargo and move faster.
Normally, forklift trucks are used for stacking inventory inside warehouses. In most cases, items are packed onto pallets which make it ideal for the blades to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The lift truck could then securely lift the goods without it wobbling or falling onto the ground. Once the pallets are in place, they could be transported easily to another location. Lift trucks are also used a lot within the mining, agricultural, shipping and docking business.
The forklift is also seen on constructions sites, because many models have been made to lift huge heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. As it is quite a compact unit, this machinery can move from one place to another at a moderately good speed.
The dimensions of the lift truck differ depending on the unit and its specific use. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck units. These are quite a bit smaller in size and require the floor to be extremely flat. Usually, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machines in the manufacturing and mining machine industries. As lift trucks often deal with flammable supplies, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the machines have become stronger and more durable.
Forklifts have a load capacity ranging from 1 to 5 tons. There are heavy-duty models that can handle up to 50 tons. These units are often used to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are specially regulated to ensure the safety of the individuals using this specific machine. No one could utilize them legally without completing the proper training and documents.