Forklift 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 design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern forklift engines are fueled by propane since they will be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
Normally, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are like car engines because they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once 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 prior to moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, that compresses the mixture of air and propane as every piston rises to the top of the head. With extremely exact timing, the engine's alternator and battery produce an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance 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.