Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same class wherein lawnmowers are categorized. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck brand names and models will have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque rather than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern forklift engines are fueled by propane as they will be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a lift truck. A lot like the engine in small automobiles, the engines of the forklift have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, 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 which comes 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 an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is very precise, the alternator and battery of the engine produce 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. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder 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.