Since its introduction during the early 1920s, the forklift has become an invaluable piece of machinery found in many industrial operations and warehousing. Clark, one of the pioneers of the first forklift, has grown to become a leader in the material handling industry and still remains a leading supplier. Various other popular names in the making of these machines include: Hyster, Nissan, Yale Mitsubishi, Cat and Toyota.
Hyster has grown to become amongst the most popular units of lift trucks within the business. In fact, in several regions, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Other common names for this industrial lifting machinery comprise: high/low, lift truck, jitney, fork truck and stacker truck.
It was during the 19th century that the machine ancestors of the lift truck was initially developed. At this time, small, battery-powered models were made for the purpose of moving traveler's baggage at the Altoona train station within Pennsylvania. During the First World War, some different types were made within England specifically for use in the material handling industry. These machinery evolved as a solution to the manpower shortage at that time.
Today's equipment come in many sizes and configurations. Sod loaders are big truck-mounted lift truck units and several of the bigger machines, whereas the smaller machines consist of hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions referred to as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These models were developed as a way of lowering operational expenses and to improve productivity.
Attachments have been made to fit onto lots of regular lift trucks, giving them the capability of performing a wider selection of jobs. The motors could be IC or internal combustion units, running on propane, diesel or gasoline, or there are battery operated options which require regular charging. Typical warehouse models would usually be rated to lift between around 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, lift trucks have become a priceless component of the material handling business. Thousands of these units are used on a daily basis throughout the globe to perform tasks that used to need a lot more man-power. Operators should take stringent training courses in order to safely and legally run these heavy machines. Numerous employees have longer careers now and better health overall due to their not having to raise things manually anymore since the forklifts can handle those situations now instead.