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. Various forklift brand names and models will have varying engine design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. 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 fueled by propane as they will be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines will be inappropriate because of the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is usually found in a forklift. Much similar to the engine in small automobiles, the engines of the forklift have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder has an intake hatch, an exhaust hatch and a spark plug, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes with air that comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the engine's battery and alternator produce an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites resulting in an explosion which 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 exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns a lot cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.