Forklifts are machinery that forklift drivers utilize to transport supplies from one location to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The equipment lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is made with forks which insert into the rungs of the pallet. At times, forklifts are also known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
Companies like Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing advertised the very first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Today most goods stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found in warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are used for the smooth operation of business.
The following are some of the different types of pallet or skid lifts: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; IC counterbalanced truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; Sideloader; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - used for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, such as the articulated counterbalance truck. This particular hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles as it is capable of offloading and onloading within very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" type could lift up to 30 meters high. These kinds of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machinery must only be used on floors that are flat and even.