Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the numerous makes and models of lift truck would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane as they would be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they make.
Usually, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are similar to automobile engines as they hold pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head has a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
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 cylinder head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as each piston rises to the top of the head. With very exact timing, the alternator and battery of the engine produce 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, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.