Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same category in which lawnmowers are categorized. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck models and brand names will have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are fueled by propane since they will be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable due to the exhaust they produce.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. A lot like the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of every cylinder has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
When 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 before moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the propane and air mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the battery and alternator of the engine create 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, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.