The lift truck is a mobile machinery which utilizes 2 prongs or forks to lift and place cargo into positions which will be normally hard to reach. Normally, forklifts fall into 2 main categories: rough-terrain and industrial.
Industrial lift trucks are most commonly utilized around train and truck loading docks in addition to a lot of warehouse applications. These machinery have smaller tires that are engineered to run on smooth surfaces. Usually, industrial lift trucks are powered by an internal gasoline engine running on propane or diesel fuel.
There are several smaller industrial lift truck units that use an electric motor running off an internal battery. As the name implies, rough terrain forklifts are engineered to run on unpaved and rough surfaces. Commonly, they are the ideal alternative for military and construction applications. Rough terrain forklifts normally have big pneumatic tires that are usually powered by internal industrial engines that run on diesel or propane fuel. These lift truck units could have a telescoping boom, capable of carrying cargo up and out from the equipment's base or they can use a vertical tower, which is responsible for lifting cargo straight up.
During the year 1946, the rough terrain forklift emerged as a 2 pronged lift attachment was placed on a tractor chassis or a power buggy. This first equipment was used around construction locations and can raise to a height of 30 inches or 76 cm and had a lifting capacity could lift 454 kg or 1000 pounds. Vertical tower forklifts were quickly developed for industrial application and rough terrain lift trucks became famous too. By the time the 1950s came around, there were available models which could raise up to heights of 9 meters or 30 feet and had lift capacities of 1135 kg or 2500 lbs.
In the year 1958, the first 4-wheel drive rough terrain forklift was introduced with a capacity of 6000 lbs. or 2724 kg and had a lift height of 22.5 feet or 7 meters or 3000 lbs. or 1362 kg and 35 feet or 11 meters. The first telescoping boom rough terrain lift truck emerged on the market during the year 1962. This unit enabled cargo to be placed out from the base of the machinery both above and below grade.