Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles, the same category wherein lawnmowers are classed. The engines of the forklifts all follow the principles of internal combustion. Different lift truck brand names and models will have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to lower and lift the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines that are modern are powered by propane since they would be used indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a forklift. A lot similar to the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, once the operator starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each and every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the mixture of air and propane as every piston rises to the top of the head. With very precise timing, the battery and alternator of the engine generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. An air pressure imbalance in the cylinder causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.