Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same class in which lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various lift truck models and brand names will have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are powered by propane because they will be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they make.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to automobile engines because they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, which compresses the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the engine's alternator and battery produce 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, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.