The lift truck has become such an important piece of machinery found and used in most industrial operations and warehousing, ever since its introduction to the market more than 90 years ago in the 1920's. One of the forklift's pioneers, Clark has grown to become an industry leading supplier in the material handling business. Other popular names in the manufacturing of these machinery consist of: Cat, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Yale and Hyster.
Hyster has grown to become among the most popular models of forklifts in the industry. The fact is, in some places, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Different other names for this industrial lifting equipment comprise: fork truck, stacker truck, lift truck, jitney and high/low.
It was in the 19th century that the machinery ancestors of the forklift was initially developed. At this time, battery-powered, small units were made for the purpose of moving traveler's baggage in Pennsylvania at the Altoona train station. In WWI, various kinds were developed in England particularly for use in the material handling industry. These machines evolved as a solution to the lack of manpower at that time.
Today's machinery come in numerous configurations and sizes. Sod loaders are large truck-mounted forklift models and several of the larger machinery, while the smaller machines consist of hand truck units. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles which are practically robotic in nature. These models were developed to improve production and as a way of lowering operational costs.
Attachments have been made to fit onto many common lift trucks, giving them the capability of performing a wider selection of jobs. The motors can be internal combustion or IC models, working on gasoline, propane or diesel, or there are battery operated options that need regular charging. Typical warehouse models would usually be rated to raise between around 1 and 5 tons.
Since their evolution, forklifts have become a priceless component of the material handling industry. Thousands of these models are utilized each and every day throughout the world to complete tasks which used to need a lot more man-power. Operators must take stringent training programs in order to run these heavy equipment legally and safely. Numerous workers have longer careers now and better health overall due to their not having to lift things manually anymore since the forklifts can handle those situations now instead.