Forklift plays a very important role in the enterprise's logistics system and is the main force in material handling equipment. Widely used in stations, ports, airports, factories, warehouses and other sectors of the national economy, it is a highly efficient equipment for mechanized loading and unloading, stacking and short-distance transportation. Self-propelled forklift appeared in 1917. During the Second World War, forklifts were developed. China started to manufacture forklifts from the early 1950s. Especially with the rapid development of China's economy, the material handling of most enterprises has been separated from the original manual handling and replaced by mechanized handling mainly by forklift trucks. As a result, the demand for forklift trucks in the Chinese market has been growing at a double-digit rate every year over the past few years.
Forklifts can usually be divided into three main categories: internal combustion forklifts, electric forklifts and storage forklifts.
(1) Internal Combustion Forklifts
Internal combustion forklift trucks are divided into ordinary internal combustion forklift trucks, heavy-duty forklift trucks, container forklift trucks and side forklift trucks.
①General internal combustion forklift trucks
Generally using diesel, gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas engine as a power, load capacity of 1.2 to 8.0 tons, the width of the operating channel is generally 3.5 to 5.0 m. Considering the exhaust emissions and noise problems, usually used in outdoor, workshop or other places where there is no special requirements for exhaust emissions and noise. Since it is easy to replenish fuel, it can realize continuous operation for a long time, and it is capable of working in harsh environment (e.g. rainy day).
②Heavy Duty Forklift
Adopting diesel engine as power, with a carrying capacity of 10.0 to 52.0 tons, it is generally used for outdoor operations in the dock, steel and other industries with heavy cargo.
③Container Forklift
Adopting diesel engine as power, with carrying capacity of 8.0～45.0 tons, generally divided into empty container stacker, heavy container stacker and container frontal crane. Used in container handling, such as container yard or harbor terminal operations.
④Side Forklift
Adopting diesel engine as power, with a load capacity of 3.0 to 6.0 tons. Without turning, it has the ability to take goods directly from the side, so it is mainly used to take long goods, such as wood, steel and so on.
(2) Electric forklift trucks
Powered by electric motor and storage battery. Carrying capacity of 1.0 to 4.8 tons, the width of the operating channel is generally 3.5 to 5.0 meters. Because there is no pollution and low noise, it is widely used in working conditions with high environmental requirements, such as medicine, food and other industries. Since each battery generally needs to be charged after about 8 hours of work, it is necessary to equip a backup battery for multi-shift working conditions.
(3) Warehouse Forklifts
Warehouse forklift trucks are mainly designed for cargo handling in warehouses. In addition to a few warehousing forklift (such as manual pallet forklift) is driven by manpower, the others are motor-driven, because of its compact body, mobile and flexible, light weight and environmental protection performance in the warehousing industry has been widely used. In multi-shift operation, motor-driven storage forklifts need to have battery backup.
①Electric Pallet Truck
Carrying capacity of 1.6 ~ 3.0 tons, the general width of the operating channel 2.3 ~ 2.8 meters, fork lifting height is generally about 210mm, mainly used for horizontal handling in the warehouse and cargo loading and unloading. Generally there are two operation modes: walking type and station driving type, which can be selected according to the efficiency requirements.
②Electric Pallet Stacker Forklift Trucks
Carrying capacity of 1.0 ~ 1.6 tons, operating aisle width is generally 2.3 ~ 2.8 m, in the structure than the electric pallet handling forklift more gantry, fork lifting height is generally 4.8 m, mainly used for goods stacking and loading and unloading in the warehouse.
③Forward-Loading Forklift Trucks
Load capacity of 1.0 to 2.5 tons, the gantry can be moved forward or retracted as a whole, the width of the working aisle when retracted is generally 2.7 to 3.2 meters, the highest lifting height of up to 11 meters, commonly used in warehouse stacking, picking up of goods at a medium height of the operation.
④Electric Picking Forklift Truck
In some working conditions (such as supermarket distribution centers), do not need to ship the whole pallet, but in accordance with the order picking a variety of goods to form a pallet, this link is called picking. According to the height of the picking goods, electric picking forklift can be divided into low picking forklift (within 2.5 meters) and medium-high picking forklift (up to 10 meters). Carrying capacity 2.0 to 2.5 tons (low position), 1.0 to 1.2 tons (medium-high position with cab lift).
⑤ Low Position Driving 3-Way Stacker Trucks
Usually equipped with a three-way stacking head, the forklift truck does not need to be steered, and the fork rotation can realize the stacking and picking up of goods on both sides, with an aisle width of 1.5 to 2.0 meters and a lifting height of up to 12 meters. The cab of the forklift is always on the ground and cannot be lifted. Considering the limitation of the operation vision, it is mainly used for the working condition where the lifting height is lower than 6 meters.
⑥High-position Driving Three-way Stacker Trucks
Similar to the low-position driving three-way stacking forklift truck, the high-position driving three-way stacking forklift truck is also equipped with a three-way stacking head, with an access width of 1.5 to 2.0 meters and a lifting height of up to 14.5 meters. The cab can be lifted so that the operator can clearly observe the load at any height and can also carry out picking operations. The high driving three-way stacking forklift truck is better than the low driving three-way stacking forklift truck in terms of efficiency and various performances, so this model has gradually replaced the low driving three-way stacking forklift truck.
⑦Electric Tractor

The tractor is driven by an electric motor, using its traction capacity (3.0 to 25 tons), behind the pulling of several loaded goods cart. Often used in workshops or workshops between the transportation of large quantities of goods, such as automobile manufacturing industry warehouse to the assembly line of the transport, airport baggage transportation.