Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same class in which lawnmowers are classed. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck models and brand names would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are powered by propane as they will be utilized indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they make.
A four-cylinder engine-block is normally found in a forklift. Much similar to the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Every cylinder head consists of an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
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 that comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. 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 extremely precise timing, the engine's alternator and battery create an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which 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 the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.