Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, though the many makes and models of forklift will have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque than for speed. They usually are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to lower and lift the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane as they would be used for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they produce.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a forklift. Much like the engine in small automobiles, forklift engines have cylinders containing pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each and every cylinder has an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
When the driver starts up the engine of the forklift, propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray and mixes together with air coming from the mass air intake before moving into the cylinder head intake hatches. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, compressing the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With extremely precise timing, the battery and alternator of the engine produce an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing 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 as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.