In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of machinery that drivers use to shuttle materials from one place to another are referred to as forklifts. The machine carries pallets, also called skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. Sometimes, forklifts are also referred to as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
The very first forklifts were advertised during the early 1900s by companies like Yale & Towne Manufacturing and Clark. Today most supplies stores on pallets and are delivered to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found in warehouses and manufacturing factories, where they are utilized for the smooth operation of business.
The following are amongst the various types of pallet or skid lifts: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also known as "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck; 'Man Down' - utilized for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, such as the articulated counterbalance truck. This hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles because it is capable of onloading and offloading in 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-riser and man-down models. This machine should be utilized only on floors that are flat and even.