Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same class in which lawnmowers are categorized. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different forklift models and brand names would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane because they would be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate because of the exhaust they produce.
Normally, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to automobile engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once the operator starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air that comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is very precise, the alternator and battery of the engine create an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing 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 as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.