Forklifts were introduced onto the market in the beginning of the 20th Century. These machines have played a hugely powerful part in the recycling business and have also changed the material handling industry. The considerations for safe operation, the forklift's evolution and the many different types are discussed below.
History of Lift Trucks
These powered industrial trucks, also referred to as lift trucks and forklifts, were created and introduced to the market during the latter part of the 19th century. Initially, these models were low lift trucks which were just capable of raising platforms several inches high. Normally, these types of machines were utilized for moving material within a store, such as work-in-progress situations. In the late 1910s, high lift trucks first emerged and truck design improvements started to take root from there. The tier trucks eventually developed and this allowed for better storage efficiency and stacking of loads.
There were extremely tough economic times throughout the 1930s. Nevertheless, in this specific period, labor was freely available but capital for investment was increasingly more difficult to come by. This situation significantly slowed the growth of lift truck usage.
Forklifts became a very strategic part of the the second World War war effort since the vast shortages in manpower during that time happened as a resulting of enlistment of thousands of men. It was found that its driver and the forklift were very productive and could handle the work of many men. As the War continued, a lot of women drivers filled the many demands. When the war was over, lift trucks became a mainstay of the material handling business. They were used a lot in the Pacific war efforts. Some of the leftover pallets and forklifts in Australia left behind by the U.S. Military became the basis for the CHEP or Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, who today is known as the world's biggest pallet pooling business.
Gasoline/Diesel
Diesel and gasoline engines have lots of advantages. They are always available all around the world; they are great for heavy duty workloads, they deliver consistent power throughout the shift and lots of drivers are quite familiar with the source of power.
Some of the main drawbacks of diesel and gasoline units include: they require much more maintenance than electric models, because of the emissions they release, they are not appropriate for indoor applications, there is some difficulty and cost associated to disposal of fluid and oil and they need a re-fueling post on-site if they are going to be in continuous use.