A forklift is a small industrial vehicle with an electric fork mounted on the front, which can raise and lower the fork so that it can be inserted under the cargo to lift or move the cargo. Forklifts can meet the needs of various industries, including warehouses and other large storage facilities. Forklifts are driven by batteries or internal combustion engines. Some forklifts allow the operator to sit down while driving and operating the machine, while others require the operator to stand up. Forklifts are widely used throughout the industry to transport materials and goods.
Let us discuss in detail the key components of forklifts, forklift mechanisms and their applications.
Key components of forklifts: Forklifts consist of various components needed to effectively handle tasks. Starting from the truck frame, power and counterweights are essential for the effective operation of forklifts.
Truck frame: The truck frame is the most important part of the machine foundation. All key components of the forklift, including wheels, counterweight and mast, are mounted on the truck frame.
Counterweight: The counterweight is a cast iron counterweight attached to the rear of the forklift. The purpose of the counterweight is to balance the lifted load. On an electric forklift, the counterweight is fixed on the lead-acid battery
Forklift energy source: The forklift's power source includes an internal combustion engine. The engine can use liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, diesel and natural gas as fuel. Electric forklifts obtain power from fuel cells or lead-acid batteries.
Transportation: The bracket is used as the base of the forklift. The bracket is fixed on the mast rail, so it can easily move up and down.
Mast: The mast is a vertical part that can raise and lower the load. The mast assembly consists of interlocking rails that provide horizontal control. Like a carriage, the mast may be equipped with rollers.
How does a mast forklift work?
The power of the forklift comes from two entangled mechanisms:
A pair of hydraulic cylinders
A pair of roller pulleys
Forklift hydraulic cylinder
Lifting mechanism: hydraulic cylinder
The lifting handle is connected to the electric air pump at the bottom of the forklift. When the handle is pressed, it triggers the air pump, which sucks in external air through the filter and forces it into the tube that reaches the hydraulic cylinder.
The hydraulic cylinder includes a hollow tube, one end of the hollow tube is closed, and the other end is equipped with a flexible lubricating piston. The air is trapped through the bottom of the cylinder so that the gas can enter without leaking out. The amount of gas in the cylinder increases the pressure in the cylinder. The pressure applied to the piston head area generates an upward force. This force moves the piston upward, thereby increasing the amount of gas and minimizing pressure. It keeps the forklift balanced when it is at a high place, and generates equal force under the load of gasoline and forklift.
Lifting the load: The operator pushes the handle forward to send a signal to the forklift to pump excess air into the cylinder.
Reduce the load: The operator pulls the handle backwards to send a signal to the handle, instructing a special valve to discharge gas from the cylinder.
Lifting mechanism: The hydraulic piston is fixed on two main vertical structures, called "masts". The fork used to carry the load is fixed on the main body of the forklift through a pair of roller sprockets, and its fulcrum forms a gear on the top of the mast. Therefore, when the hydraulic piston pushes the mast in the upward direction, the gear on the mast is pressed on the roller chain. This happens because one side of the chain is fixed to the fixed frame of the forklift, and the only way for the mast to move up is for the gear to rotate in a clockwise direction and pull the forklift upward. The importance of this mechanism is that it can keep the fork away from the cylinder. If roller chain pulleys are not used, then the forklift will need a higher cylinder to lift the cargo to the same height.
The forklift has two sets of controls: one for steering and the other for lifting.
Steering control: The working principle of steering control is similar to that of a golf cart, with accelerator pedal, steering wheel, brake, reverse gear and forward gear. Forklifts use rear wheels to steer. When you turn on the steering wheel, the steering wheel on the rear axle will start to rotate back and forth. The purpose of this is to enable the operator to take greater rotation and precision when moving goods.
Lifting control: The lifting control device includes two levers: one is used to lift the fork up or down, and the other is used to tilt the rear seat and front fork.
The lifting control work is the same as the above lifting mechanism. The tilt mechanism is different. There are two additional pairs of hydraulic cylinders on the base of the mast. After the tilt handle moves forward, air will automatically fill the chamber. The increase in pressure is sufficient to push the head of the piston and move the mast away from the body. After the tilt handle is moved back, the air will gradually escape from the cylinder and be pumped to the other parts of the cylinder connected to the mast. When the piston is pushed forward, the mast is pushed back onto the vehicle.
Industrial use of forklifts
Forklifts have revolutionized the warehousing and transportation industries. The forklift was invented during the first century in the early 20th century, and has now become an important part of the modern industrial world. Forklifts are named after fork-shaped forks, which can lift loads.
The forklift is basically used for:
1 construction site
Industrial forklifts are very useful equipment on construction sites because they can be used to transport heavy construction materials over long distances on rough terrain. It integrates and balances the functions of lifting tools and vehicles. Forklifts can unload bricks, building materials and joist pallets from delivery trucks and transport them to the job site. Now, most transportation companies carry truck-mounted forklifts with them to easily unload construction 名媛直播.
2 warehouse
Forklifts are most often used in warehouses. Forklifts are mainly used for loading and unloading trucks and moving goods. From operable machines to heavy-duty driver-operated trucks, there are many types of forklifts.
The size of forklifts varies from one ton for general warehouse-related tasks to 50 tons for container transportation. A plate on the forklift determines the maximum weight that it can lift. The forklift operator can raise and lower the fork, use the side shifter to move the load and tilt the mast so that the load does not slip off the fork. Pallet trucks are used to unload and load goods on pallets, such as cartons and canned goods.
3 Recovery operations
Forklifts are also used in recycling operations to unload recycling trucks or containers and transport their contents to the sorting area. Forklifts can efficiently load and unload straight trucks, towing trailers, elevators and railway vehicles. Cage attachments can be used to transport materials that may slip off the fork, such as tires.
Forklift recycling business
Before starting loading and unloading operations, the work area must be prepared. And set the brakes of the vehicle. The jack supporting the semi-trailer connected to the tractor must be installed to prevent the forklift from tipping over. Ensure that the height of the vehicle entrance door is at least 5 cm away from the height of the forklift. In addition, please make sure that the expansion area and the docking area board are free from any obstacles and are completely dry. When driving with no load, the fork should keep pointing downwards, and when driving with heavy objects, the fork should keep pointing upwards.
During the World War, when a fast and effective way to load weapons and supplies was required, forklifts have been used for stacking and unloading ships and barges.
Today, heavy-duty forklifts are used to transport large containers from delivery trucks to dock storage areas and then to ships. Once wood and steel need to be loaded and unloaded, it is used to transport wood and steel.
Forklifts can also replace snow blowers. Entrepreneurs can buy or rent industrial forklifts, which will help shovel snow. This is a more reasonable option than hiring a snowplow. It can easily clear snow covered parking lots and outdoor sidewalks.
