Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classed as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many models and makes of lift truck will have a different design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to raise and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane since they will be utilized for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be unsuitable due to the exhaust they produce.
Typically, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to automobile engines since they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of every cylinder consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, once the driver starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake before 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 propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the alternator and battery of the engine produce an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.