Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many models and makes of forklift will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to raise and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane since they would be used indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. A lot like the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of every cylinder 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 driver starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes together with air that comes 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, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With timing which is really precise, the engine's alternator and battery produce an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.