Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many models and makes of lift truck will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane as they will be used indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate because of the exhaust they make.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to automobile engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With very exact timing, the battery and alternator of the engine 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, 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.