In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of machinery which drivers utilize to shuttle supplies from one place to another are known as forklifts. The machine lifts pallets, also called skids, which are loaded with things. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Forklifts are also sometimes referred to as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies like Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark sold the very first forklifts in the early part of the 1900s. Today most goods are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are commonly found within manufacturing plants and warehouses, where they are utilized to operate the business smoothly.
The following are among the various kinds of pallet or skid lifts: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; IC counterbalanced truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; Sideloader; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; 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 called "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck ; 'Man Down' - used 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 hybrid is recommended for really narrow aisles as it could onload and offload within very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" type can lift up to 30 meters high. These types of trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machine must only be used on floors which are flat and even.