Description

FORKLIFT DEFINATION

A forklift truck (also called a lift truck, a fork truck, a forklift, or a tow-motor) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the ***0s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing.The forklift has since become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing operations.

FORKLIFT HISTORY

The middle nineteenth century through the early twentieth century saw the developments that led to today's modern forklifts. The Pennsylvania Railroad in ***6 introduced battery powered platform trucks for moving luggage at their Altoona, Pennsylvania train station. World War I saw the development of different types of material handling equipment in the United Kingdom by Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries of Ipswich. This was in part due to the labor shortages caused by the war. In ***7 Clark in the United States began developing and using powered tractor and powered lift tractors in their factories. In ***9 the Towmotor Company and Yale & Towne Manufacturing in ***0 entered the lift truck market in the United States.

Continuing development and expanded use of the forklift continued through the ***0s and ***0s. World War II, like World War I before, spurred the use of forklift trucks in the war effort. Following the war, more efficient methods for storing products in warehouses were being implemented. Warehouses needed more maneuverable forklift trucks that could reach greater heights. New forklift models were made that filled this need. In ***6 Toyota introduced its first lift truck model, the Model LA, in Japan and sold its first forklift in the United States in ***7.

FORKLIFT COMPONENT