construction and construction related tasks, especially where lifting and moving large amounts of load is necessary.

What is a Forklift?

Also known as a lift truck, fork truck or forklift truck, the forklift is a heavy material-lifting machine with a two-pronged fork attachment at the front. Powered either by an internal combustion engine or electric battery, the forklift can lift and move material in a vertical direction, so it can be raised and lowered as required.

For ease and speed of material loading and lifting, a wooden platform called pallet is placed. on the front fork attachment, on which material can be stacked. The forklift is a versatile machine that is much in-demand across a range of industries, for uses such as Construction – to move bricks, wood and other construction material.

Industrial – to stack palletised bulk loads in warehouses.
Real Estate – to move cans and palletised loads.
Ports – to stack palletised loads loaded and offloaded from ships and barges.

Different types of forklifts

Let us get familiar with some of the common types of forklifts and how they are used.

Electric Forklift

The electric battery-powered forklift has the advantage of being a quieter machine with low emissions. Also, the lithium-ion or lead-acid battery can conveniently be recharged. Apart from being the power source, the battery also doubles up to function as the counterweight. at the rear of the forklift which balances the weight of the front load.

Heavy Duty Forklift

Heavy duty or high capacity forklifts are rugged machines, capable of lifting and transporting bulky and heavy loads. This type of forklift is therefore mostly deployed at sites like ports, oil refineries and steel plants as they have the capacity to efficiently move and transport loads such as large freight containers, oil barrels and metal sheets.

Pallet Jack

The nimble and agile pallet jack can quickly and easily navigate narrow spaces such as warehouse aisles. That makes this type of forklift the ideal productivity partner for loading and stacking operations in the retail, F&B as well as general manufacturing industries. Pallet jacks are generally electric powered and have lesser moving parts, offering benefits of reduced maintenance costs and higher productivity.

Order Picker

When you need a tool to reach and pick up a client’s order from the tallest rack in the storehouse, the Order Picker is the one that gets the job done for you. It has the capability to move easily and swiftly even in tightly packed spaces, and can pick and place boxes with precision.

Reach Truck

Another type of electric forklift commonly used in warehousing operations is the Reach Truck. It can efficiently handle heavy loads, along with reaching the highest racks and finding its way neatly between narrow aisles. As there are various types of forklifts, each designed and built with features that suit specific applications, customers can pick the one that is best suited for their requirements.