Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many models and makes of lift truck would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward producing high torque than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane because they will be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate because of the exhaust they make.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to car engines because they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and 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
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, once the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the engine's alternator and battery produce an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites resulting in an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.