Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classed as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many models and makes of lift truck would have a different design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane as they will be utilized for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable due to the exhaust they create.
Usually, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are like car engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the forklift engine, 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 cylinder head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is very precise, the engine's battery and alternator generate an electrical current that 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 the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.