Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classed as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many makes and models of lift truck would have a different design and layout. Forklifts are designed more toward generating high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also needed to lift and lower the forks through a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines that are modern are fueled by propane as they would be utilized indoors, where gasoline and diesel engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they make.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. Much similar to the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder has a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once the driver starts up the forklift engine, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the mixture of air and propane as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really precise timing, the engine's battery and alternator create an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, leading to a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.