The forklift has been around since the early 1920's. Since its inception, the lift truck has become an indispensable machine for the materials handling business.
The forklift is also called a lift truck and was first used to lift and move luggage at train stations and airports. Throughout WWII the use of these equipment exploded and the warehousing business expanded greatly. The traditional machinery was adapted to deal with the requirement to stack inventory on higher shelves and they were designed to carry heavier loads and move faster.
Normally, lift truck trucks are used for stacking inventory inside warehouses. In most cases, objects are packed onto pallets that make it ideal for the forks to move in between the open spaces of the pallets. The lift truck could then securely lift the load without it falling into the ground or wobbling. Once the pallets are in place, they could be transported easily to a different location. Forklifts are also used a lot in the mining, agricultural, docking and shipping business.
Lift trucks are often seen on construction locations. The manufacturers of these machines make them to pick up huge heavy boxes and heavy pipes, concrete slabs, ceramics and other equipment. Since it is quite a compact unit, this machinery can move from one location to another at a fairly good speed.
The dimensions of the forklift differ depending on the unit and its specific use. For warehousing applications, there are the narrow aisle truck units. These need the floor to be extremely flat and are quite a bit smaller in size. Normally, they are made with rear wheel steering. There has been a dramatic increase in these machines within the mining and manufacturing equipment industries. Because lift trucks often handle flammable materials, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the machines have become more robust and stronger.
The forklifts may have load capacities from 1 to as many as 5 tons. Some heavy duty models have been made to handle as many as 50 tons. These models are normally used to load shipping equipment onto and off of ships. Forklifts and their required training to operate are particularly regulated to ensure the safety of the individuals utilizing this particular machinery. No body could utilize them legally without finishing the correct documents and training.