Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same category wherein lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various 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 normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane since they will be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they generate.
Typically, the lift truck is a four-cylinder engine-block. Forklift engines are similar to automobile engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes together with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the engine's alternator and battery create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites resulting in 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 exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.