It was during the beginning of the 20th Century when the first lift trucks were launched. These machines over the past 90 plus years has revolutionized the material handling business and even the recycling business. The considerations for safe utilization, the lift truck's evolution and the many different kinds are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also known as lift trucks and forklifts, were created and introduced to the market in the late 19th century. At first, these models were low lift trucks that were only capable of raising platforms a few inches high. Usually, these machinery were utilized for transporting supplies inside a shop, like work-in-progress situations. In the latter part of 1910s, high lift trucks initially emerged and enhancements in truck design started to take root from there. The tier trucks ultimately evolved and this allowed for greater storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
During the 1930s, there were some extremely difficult economic times. Nevertheless, throughout this specific period, labor was freely available but money for investment was increasingly more difficult to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of forklift usage.
In the second World War, lift trucks became a strategic part of the war effort. In that era, vast shortages in manpower happened resulting from the wartime enlistment. It was found that a forklift and its operator were really productive and can deal with the work of many men. As the War continued, many women drivers filled the numerous demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. A few of the leftover pallets and forklifts in Australia left behind by the United States Military became the basis for the CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is known as the world's biggest pallet pooling company.
Diesel/Gasoline
There are many benefits to utilizing a gas or diesel powered engine. They are readily available around the globe; they deliver consistent power throughout the shift, they are great for heavy duty workloads and many drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Several of the gas and diesel engines drawbacks consist of: they require a lot more maintenance than electric models, due to the emissions they release, they are not appropriate to be used indoors, there is some cost and difficulty connected to disposal of fluid and oil and they require a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.