In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of machines which drivers use to shuttle materials from one location to another are known as forklifts. The machine carries pallets, also called skids, that are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Every so often, forklifts are also known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
The very first forklifts were sold in the early 1900s by companies such as Yale & Towne Manufacturing and Clark. Today nearly all goods are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are normally found inside warehouses and manufacturing factories, where they are used to operate the business smoothly.
The following are some of the different kinds 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; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking 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' - utilized for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck that is utilized for specialized applications. This hybrid is recommended for very narrow aisles as 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 could lift up to 30 meters high. These trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machinery should be utilized only on floors that are flat and even.