Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the numerous makes and models of forklift would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern lift truck engines are fueled by propane because they will be utilized indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable due to the exhaust they produce.
Typically, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are like car engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, once the operator starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With very exact timing, the alternator and battery of the engine generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.