Forklifts are machinery which forklift operators utilize to shuttle supplies from one location to another in warehouse and manufacturing environments. The equipment lifts pallets, also known as skids, which are loaded with items. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Sometimes, forklifts are also known as as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
The very first forklifts were marketed during the early 1900s by companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. Today nearly all supplies stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found within warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
Some of the various kinds of pallets or skid lifts are as follows: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also called "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck that is utilized for specialized applications. This hybrid is recommended for very narrow aisles because it is capable of onloading and offloading within very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind could lift up to 30 meters high. These types of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machinery should be utilized only on floors that are flat and even.