Forklifts are equipment that forklift operators use to transport materials from one location to another in warehouse and manufacturing environments. The equipment lifts pallets, also called skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. Forklifts are also sometimes called Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies such as Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark sold the very first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Today nearly all goods stores on pallets and are delivered to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found in manufacturing plants and warehouses, where they are depended upon for the smooth operation of business.
Among the different kinds of skid lifts or pallets are the following: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider 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 referred to as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - utilized for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a type of counterbalanced forklift truck which is used for specialized applications. This hybrid is recommended for really narrow aisles because it is capable of offloading and onloading within really 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 kinds of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machinery should be utilized only on floors which are even and flat.