Forklifts are machines which forklift drivers utilize to transport materials from one place to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The equipment lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, that are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks which insert into the rungs of the pallet. Sometimes, forklifts are also known as as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
The very first forklifts were sold in the early 1900s by companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. Nowadays nearly all goods stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found inside warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
The following are some of the different kinds of skid lifts or pallets: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also called "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - 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 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" kind could lift up to 30 meters high. These trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machine must only be used on flat and even floors.