Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the numerous makes and models of lift truck would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern forklift engines are fueled by propane since they will be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable due to the exhaust they create.
Typically, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are like car engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air that comes from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the battery and alternator of the engine generate an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to 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 a lot cleaner than gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.