Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same class wherein lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different forklift brand names and models would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to lift and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane because they will be utilized for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are like automobile engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once the driver starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the propane and air mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With very precise timing, the alternator and battery of the engine 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 when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.