Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the numerous models and makes of lift truck will have a different design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of modern lift truck engines are fueled by propane as they would be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they make.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. A lot like the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders that contain 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
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, that compresses the mixture of propane and air as each piston rises to the top of the head. With really precise timing, the battery and alternator of the engine produce an electrical current that 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. 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 a lot cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.