In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of equipment that operators use to shuttle materials from one place to another are referred to as forklifts. The equipment lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with things. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. At times, forklifts are also called Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
The very first forklifts were sold during the early 1900s by companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. These days most supplies stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are normally found inside manufacturing factories and warehouses, where they are relied upon for the smooth operation of business.
Some of the various kinds of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; IC counterbalanced truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; Sideloader; 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' - used for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck that is used for specialized applications. This particular hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles since it could onload and offload in really tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind can lift up to 30 meters high. These kinds of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This equipment should only be used on flat and even floors.