Forklifts

Forklifts, a.k.a lift trucks or are powered industrial trucks used to lift and move materials by means of steel forks inserted under the load.
Forklifts are most oftenly used to handle pallets.

Forklift capacity is defined as the maximum load when the load centre of gravity is at a specified distance (load centre) from the heel of the forks.

The 3 basic forklift trucks mast configurations:

• single-stage
  
• two-stage (duplex)


• three- stage (triplex)

The more stages, the higher the mast can lift, and the lower the closed height of the mast.

Common types of Forklifts:

Counterbalanced Forklift Truck
Mostly used in warehouses and can reach up to 20 feet high.

Reach Truck
Meant for pallets and narrow aisle. Telescoping forks enable drivers to pick up loads and retract them over the outriggers. The heights of reach trucks can reach up to 40 feet high.




Motorized Pallet Truck
These pallet trucks a.k.a walkie-riders are designed for loads smaller than pallets. Operators walk alongside the trucks as they move loads. They are useful for moving loads in small areas over long distances. They elevate both load and operator to the necessary height, which can reach up to 40 feet.




Customized Forklift
This type of forklift is able to move in tight areas and fits through doorways, allowing it to go where standard forklifts cannot.




Stackers
They are fairly lightweight trucks, which almost look like small reach trucks.