Ever since its introduction during the early 1920s, the lift truck has become an important piece of machinery found in numerous industrial operations and warehousing. Clark, one of the pioneers of the first forklift, has grown to become a leader within the material handling business and still remains a leading supplier. Different other well-known names in the making of these machinery comprise: Mitsubishi, Cat, Toyota, Hyster, Nissan and Yale.
Hyster has grown to become among the most popular models of forklifts in the industry. As a matter of fact, in some places, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Different other names for this industrial lifting equipment include: high/low, lift truck, jitney, fork truck and stacker truck.
It was in the 19th century that the equipment ancestors of the forklift was initially made. At this time, battery-powered, small models were made for the purpose of moving traveler's luggage at the Altoona train station in Pennsylvania. During WWI, some different kinds were made within England specially for use in the material handling industry. These equipment evolved as a solution to the lack of manpower at that time.
The modern equivalents come in a range of sizes and configurations. There are the big truck-mounted forklift units which are also referred to as sod loaders and then the opposite end of the spectrum has small hand truck units. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are practically robotic in nature. These models were developed as a means 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 tasks. The motors could be internal combustion or IC models, running on propane, diesel or gasoline, or there are battery operated options which require regular charging. Standard warehouse models would normally be rated to raise between approximately 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, forklifts have become a priceless component of the material handling industry. Thousands of these models are utilized on a daily basis throughout the world to complete jobs that used to require much more man-power. Operators must take stringent training courses in order to safely and legally run these heavy equipment. Numerous employees have longer careers now and better health overall due to their not having to lift things manually anymore because the forklifts are capable of handling those situations now instead.