Forklifts are machines which forklift operators use to transport supplies from one location to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The machine lifts pallets, also called skids, which are loaded with things. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Forklifts are also sometimes called Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
Companies such as Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing marketed the very first forklifts in the early 1900s. Today most goods stores on pallets and are delivered to warehouses. Forklifts are normally found in manufacturing plants and warehouses, where they are relied upon to operate the business smoothly.
Some of the various types of skid lifts or pallets are as follows: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Electric counterbalanced truck; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also referred to 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' - for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck which is used for specialized applications. This particular hybrid is recommended for really narrow aisles as it is capable of offloading and onloading in really tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" type could lift up to 30 meters high. These kinds of trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machine must only be used on floors that are flat and even.