Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same class in which lawnmowers are categorized. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different forklift models and brand names will have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane because they will be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be inappropriate because of the exhaust they create.
Normally, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to car engines because they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the driver starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the battery and alternator of the engine produce an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner than gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.