Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same category wherein lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various lift truck models and brand names would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane as they will be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they make.
Typically, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to car engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and 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
Once the operator starts up the forklift engine, 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 head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of propane and air as each piston rises to the top of the head. With extremely precise timing, the alternator and battery of the engine produce 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, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.