Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same class wherein lawnmowers are categorized. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck brand names and models would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward producing high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines that are modern are powered by propane as they would be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they generate.
Normally, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to car engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air that comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the propane and air mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the engine's alternator and battery create an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.