Forklifts are machinery that forklift drivers use to shuttle materials from one location to another in warehouse and manufacturing environments. The equipment carries pallets, also called skids, which are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. At times, forklifts are also called Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies such as Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark marketed the first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Nowadays nearly all goods stores on pallets and are shipped to warehouses. Forklifts are commonly found in manufacturing factories and warehouses, where they are used to operate the business smoothly.
Amongst the different types of skid lifts or pallets are the following: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Towing tractor; IC counterbalanced truck; Sideloader; Telescopic handler; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also known as "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also referred to as "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 particular hybrid is suggested for very narrow aisles as it can onload and offload within really 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" version. These trucks are available in man down and man-riser models. This machine must only be used on floors which are even and flat.