Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same class in which lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various forklift brand names and models would have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane as they would be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate due to the exhaust they produce.
A four-cylinder engine-block is normally found in a lift truck. Much like the engine in small automobiles, the engines of the forklift have cylinders containing pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Once the operator starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, that compresses the mixture of air and propane as every piston rises to the top of the head. With very precise timing, the battery and alternator of the engine create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing 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 when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.