Forklifts are machines which forklift drivers use to shuttle materials from one place to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The machinery carries pallets, also known as skids, that are loaded with items. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Sometimes, forklifts are also known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
The first forklifts were marketed during the early part of the 1900s by companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. These days nearly all goods are delivered to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are normally found within warehouses and manufacturing factories, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
Some of the different kinds of pallets or skid lifts are as follows: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; 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 referred to as "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 used for specialized applications. This particular hybrid is suggested for very narrow aisles since it is capable of offloading and onloading within very tight spaces.
The Guided Very Narrow Aisle Trucks are capable of lifting as high as 12 meters, and even up to 30 meters if it is a "non top-tied" kind. These trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machine should only be utilized on flat and even floors.