Forklift development history

Forklifts play a very important role in the logistics system of a company and are the main force in material handling equipment. Widely used in various departments of the national economy such as stations, ports, airports, factories, and warehouses, it is an efficient equipment for mechanized handling, stacking, and short-distance transportation. Self-propelled forklift appeared in 1917. During the Second World War, the forklift developed. China began manufacturing forklifts from the early 1950s. In particular, with the rapid development of China's economy, most of the company's material handling has been removed from the original manual handling, replaced by a forklift-based mechanized handling. Therefore, in the past few years, the demand of the Chinese forklift market has grown at a double-digit rate every year.

At present, there are many forklift truck brands available on the market, and the models are complex. In addition, the products themselves are technically strong and professional. Therefore, the selection of models and the selection of suppliers are common problems faced by many purchase companies. This article focuses on the introduction of model selection, brand selection, and performance criteria.

First, the vehicle model selection industry needs models and configurations.

1. Vehicle classification Forklifts can generally be divided into three categories: internal combustion forklifts, electric forklifts and storage forklifts.

(1) Internal combustion forklift The internal combustion forklift is divided into common internal combustion forklifts, heavy-duty forklifts, container forklifts and side forklifts.

1 Ordinary internal combustion forklifts generally use diesel, gasoline, LPG or natural gas engines as power, load capacity 1.2 ~ 8.0 tons, the working channel width is generally 3.5 ~ 5.0 meters, taking into account the tail gas emissions and noise problems, usually used in outdoor, workshop Or other places where there are no special requirements for exhaust emissions and noise. Thanks to the convenient replenishment of fuel, it is possible to achieve continuous operation for a long period of time, and it is capable of working in a harsh environment (such as rain).

2 Heavy-duty forklifts use diesel engines as their power, carrying capacity of 10.0 to 52.0 tons, and are generally used for outdoor operations in heavy goods such as wharfs and iron and steel industries.

3 The container forklift is powered by a diesel engine and has a load capacity of 8.0 to 45.0 tons. It is generally divided into an empty container forklift, a heavy box forklift and a front container crane. Used for container handling, such as container yard or port terminal operations.

4 Side forklift uses diesel engine as power, carrying capacity of 3.0 to 6.0 tons. In the case of no turning, it has the ability to pick goods directly from the side, so it is mainly used to pick up long strips of goods, such as wood, steel bars and so on.

(2) The electric forklift is powered by an electric motor, and the battery is an energy source. Carrying capacity 1.0 to 4.8 tons, operating channel width is generally 3.5 to 5.0 meters. Because there is no pollution and the noise is small, it is widely used in conditions that require high environmental requirements, such as medicine, food, and other industries. Since each battery generally needs to be charged after about 8 hours of operation, a backup battery is required for multi-shift operation.

(3) Storage Forklift Warehouse forklifts are mainly forklift trucks designed for cargo handling in warehouses. In addition to a handful of warehouse forklifts (such as manual pallet trucks), which are manpower driven, others are motor driven. They are universally used in the warehousing industry due to their compact body, flexible movement, light weight, and good environmental performance. Motor-driven warehouse trucks require a backup battery for multiple shifts.

1 The capacity of electric pallet trucks is 1.6 to 3.0 tons, and the width of the working channel is generally 2.3 to 2.8 meters. The lifting height of the forks is generally about 210 mm, which is mainly used for horizontal handling and cargo handling in warehouses. There are two kinds of operation methods: walk-type and standing-drive type, which can be selected according to the efficiency requirements.

2 The capacity of the electric pallet stacker forklift is 1.0 to 1.6 tons, and the width of the working channel is generally 2.3 to 2.8 meters. Compared with the electric pallet transport forklift, the structure of the pallet truck is more than 4.8 meters. It is mainly used for warehouses. Cargo stacking and loading and unloading within.

3Forklift truck carrying capacity 1.0 to 2.5 tons, the door frame can be moved forward or retracted, the width of the working channel when retracting is generally 2.7 to 3.2 meters, lifting height up to 11 meters, often used in warehouses of medium height Stacking and picking operations.

4 Electric picking forklifts Under certain conditions (such as supermarket distribution centers), it is not necessary to ship whole pallets. Instead, a variety of pallets of goods are selected according to orders to form a pallet. This section is called picking. According to the height of picking goods, electric picking forklifts can be divided into low picking trucks (within 2.5 meters) and medium-high picking trucks (up to 10 meters). Carrying capacity 2.0 to 2.5 tons (low), 1.0 to 1.2 tons (middle and high, with cab lift).

5 Low-level driving Three-way stacking forklifts are usually equipped with a three-way stacking head. The forklift does not need to turn. The forks can be rotated to realize the stacking and picking of goods on both sides. The channel width is 1.5 to 2.0 meters, and the lifting height can reach 12 Meter. The forklift's cab cannot always be raised on the ground. Considering the limitation of the operational view, it is mainly used to lift working conditions with a height of less than 6 meters.

6 The high-position driving three-way stacker forklift is similar to the low-position driving three-way stacker forklift. The high-position driving three-way stacker forklift also has a three-way stacking head with a width of 1.5-2.0 meters and a lifting height of 14.5 meters. The cab can be elevated and the driver can clearly observe any height of cargo and can also perform picking operations. The high-position driving three-way stacking forklift is superior to the low-position driving three-way stacking forklift in terms of efficiency and various performances, so this model has gradually replaced the low driving three-way stacker forklift.