Forklifts are machines which forklift drivers use to shuttle supplies from one place to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The machine lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. Every so often, forklifts are also referred to as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
The first forklifts were sold during the early part of the 1900s by companies such as Yale & Towne Manufacturing and Clark. Today most goods stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are usually found inside manufacturing factories and warehouses, where they are depended upon to operate the business smoothly.
Amongst the different kinds of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift 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 known as "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
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, like for example the articulated counterbalance truck. This hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles because it is capable of offloading and onloading in very tight spaces.
The Guided Very Narrow Aisle Trucks are capable of lifting as high as 12 meters, and even up to 30 meters if it is a "non top-tied" type. These types of trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This equipment must be utilized only on floors that are flat and even.