In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the types of machinery that drivers utilize to shuttle supplies from one location to another are known as forklifts. The machine carries pallets, also known as skids, that are loaded with things. The lift truck is designed with forks which insert into the rungs of the pallet. Forklifts are also sometimes known as as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies like Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark sold the first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Today the majority of supplies are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are commonly found in warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
The following are some of the different kinds of pallet or skid lifts: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced 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, like for example the articulated counterbalance truck. This hybrid is recommended for very narrow aisles because it is capable of onloading and offloading in very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind could lift up to 30 meters high. These trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This equipment must just be utilized on floors that are flat and even.