Ever since its introduction during the early 1920s, the forklift has become an invaluable piece of machine found in many industrial operations and warehousing. Clark, among the pioneers of the very first lift truck, has grown to become a leader in the material handling industry and still remains a top supplier. Various other popular names in the manufacturing of these equipment consist of: Mitsubishi, Cat, Toyota, Hyster, Nissan and Yale.
Hyster has grown to become amongst the most popular units of forklifts within the industry. The truth is, in several places, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Other common names for this industrial lifting equipment consist of: fork truck, stacker truck, lift truck, jitney and high/low.
The ancestor of today's machinery was first developed during the early 19th century. At this time, small, battery-powered models were made for the purpose of moving traveler's luggage at the Altoona train station in Pennsylvania. During the First World War, several different kinds were made within England specifically for use in the material handling business. These machinery evolved as a solution to the manpower shortage at that time.
The modern equivalents come in a range of configurations and sizes. There are the large truck-mounted lift truck units that are also known as sod loaders and then the opposite end of the spectrum has small hand truck units. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These models were developed to improve production and as a way of lowering operational expenses.
A common forklift is able to utilize a huge array of attachments that are capable of being added for a range of particular functions. The motors could be IC or internal combustion units, working on propane, diesel or gasoline, or there are battery operated options that require regular charging. Standard warehouse units will usually be rated to lift between approximately 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, lift trucks have become a priceless component of the material handling industry. Thousands of these models are utilized each day throughout the globe to perform jobs which used to require a lot more man-power. Operators have to take stringent training programs in order to operate these heavy machinery legally and safely. Numerous workers have better health overall and longer careers now due to their not having to raise items manually anymore because the forklifts could handle those situations now instead.