Since its introduction in the early 1920s, the lift truck has become an invaluable piece of machinery found in many warehousing and industrial operations. Clark, among the pioneers of the first forklift, has grown to become a leader within the material handling industry and still remains a leading supplier. Other popular names in the making of these machinery comprise: Nissan, Yale, Hyster Toyota, Mitsubishi and Cat.
The Hyster type of lift truck has become one of the industries most popular manufacturers. The fact is, in some places, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Different other names for this industrial lifting equipment include: stacker truck, fork truck, jitney, high/low and lift truck.
It was in the 19th century that the machinery ancestors of the lift truck was initially developed. At this time, small, battery-powered models were invented for the purpose of moving traveler's luggage in Pennsylvania at the Altoona train station. In the First World War, several different kinds were made in England particularly for use in the material handling business. These machines evolved as a solution to the lack of manpower at that time.
Today's machinery come in numerous configurations and sizes. Sod loaders are large truck-mounted lift truck models and some of the larger machines, whereas the smaller equipment consist of hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These models were developed to improve productivity and as a way of lowering operational expenses.
A regular lift truck is able to utilize a huge array of attachments which are capable of being added for a range of particular functions. The motors could be IC or internal combustion units, running on gasoline, propane or diesel, or there are battery operated options which require regular charging. Standard warehouse units would normally be rated to lift between about 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, forklifts have become a priceless part of the material handling business. Thousands of these models are utilized on a daily basis all around the world to complete tasks which used to need a lot more man-power. Operators should take stringent training courses so as to run these heavy machinery legally and safely. Lots of workers have longer careers now and better overall health due to their not having to lift things manually anymore because the forklifts can handle those situations now instead.