Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same class wherein lawnmowers are categorized. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck models and brand names would have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also needed to lower and raise the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all modern lift truck engines are fueled by propane as they would be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a lift truck. A lot like the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once the operator starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air coming from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in an exact sequence, compressing the air and propane mixture as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the alternator and battery of the engine generate 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 the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.