Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classed as vehicles with small engines. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many makes and models of lift truck will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane because they will be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate because of the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a lift truck. Much like the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of every cylinder has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes with air which comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is very precise, the engine's alternator and battery create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites resulting in an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.