The lift truck is a mobile machinery which utilizes 2 prongs or forks to lift and place cargo into positions which will be normally hard to reach. Normally, lift trucks fall into 2 major categories: industrial and rough-terrain.
Most often, industrial lift trucks are utilized around truck loading docks and train loading docks along with in warehouse applications. These equipment have smaller tires that are engineered to run on paved surfaces. Normally, industrial forklifts are powered by an internal gasoline engine running on diesel fuel or propane.
Smaller forklifts may run off an internal battery charging an electric motor. And as the name implies, the rough terrain forklift is engineered to be operated on rough and unpaved surfaces. Usually, they are the great alternative for military and construction applications. Rough terrain lift trucks usually have large pneumatic tires which are normally powered by internal industrial engines which run on propane, diesel or propane fuel. These forklift units can have a telescoping boom, capable of carrying cargo up and out from the base of the machinery or they could use a vertical tower, which is responsible for lifting cargo straight up.
The rough terrain lift truck emerged in 1946, after a 2 pronged lift attachment was attached to a tractor chassis or a power buggy. This initial machine was used around construction locations and could raise to a height of 76 cm or 30 inches and had a lifting capacity can lift 454 kg or 1000 pounds. Vertical tower forklifts were quickly developed for industrial application and rough terrain forklifts became popular too. By the time the 1950s came around, there were available models which can lift up to heights of 9 meters or 30 feet and had lift capacities of 2500 pounds or 1135 kg.
In 1958, the original 4-wheel drive rough terrain forklift was introduced with a capacity of 2724 kg or 6000 lbs. and had a lift height of 22.5 feet or 7 meters or 1362 kg or 3000 lbs. and 35 feet or 11 meters. The first telescoping boom rough terrain lift truck emerged on the market during 1962. This particular unit enabled cargo to be placed out from the equipment's base both above and below grade.