Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the numerous makes and models of lift truck will have a different design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They generally 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. Nearly all forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane because they will be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate because of the exhaust they make.
Usually, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are like automobile engines since they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
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 which comes from the mass air intake prior to 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 propane and air mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is very precise, the engine's alternator and battery create an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion which 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 the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.