Lift Truck Basics
There is a wide variety of configurations and options available for the modern lift trucks or forklifts today. These options far exceed lift height and weight capacity. Make sure you do some homework prior to making a purchase for your company in order to pick the best vehicles for your application. These practices will lead to optimal use of your space and labor while ensuring a high safety factor.
Prior to choosing the best vehicle and making a decision for your application you must have a complete understanding of the properties of the loads or materials you will be handling. In addition, it is vital to understand the storage methods you would utilize in order to store these items. In addition, it is also vital to know the methods you will require for receiving and shipping these items. After this is complete, it is a great idea to familiarize yourself with the variety of available vehicles and options .
Fuel Types
The electric vehicles are intended for indoor application only, providing quiet operation with no gas fumes. If you intend to mainly utilize your vehicles indoors than this is certainly the best alternative. In multi-shift operations, you will need additional transfer and charging stations and batteries.
During single shift operations, the lift truck is not utilized 100% of the time, allowing the operators sufficient time to recharge the batteries while on off-duty hours. Remember that lift truck chargers and batteries are usually priced separately from the lift truck itself.
Forklifts also have AC or alternating current motors. These motors are offered by lots of lift truck manufacturers. Most often, AC powered lift trucks run off of DC batteries and convert the DC power back to AC to be able to power the motor.
There are some advantages of AC motors. Some of the main factors include that these motors provide faster acceleration, higher efficiency overall and lower maintenance costs.