In warehouse and manufacturing environments, the kinds of machinery which operators use to transport materials from one location to another are referred to as forklifts. The equipment lifts pallets, also referred to as skids, which are loaded with items. The lift truck is made with forks that insert into the rungs of the pallet. Sometimes, forklifts are also referred to as Pallet Trucks, Lift Trucks, Skid Trucks, High/Low, Side Loaders and Stacker Trucks.
Companies like Yale & Towne manufacturing and Clark advertised the very first forklifts in the early 1900s. Nowadays nearly all goods are delivered to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are usually found within warehouses and manufacturing factories, where they are relied upon to operate the business smoothly.
Among the different kinds of pallets or skid lifts are the following: Hand pallet truck; Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; IC counterbalanced truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; Sideloader; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also called "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also called "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck; 'Man Down' - for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
There are counterbalanced forklift trucks available for specialized uses, such as the articulated counterbalance truck. This particular hybrid is recommended for very narrow aisles since it could onload and offload within very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind can lift up to 30 meters high. These trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machine must only be used on floors which are even and flat.