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 models and makes of lift truck would have a different layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward producing high torque than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine runs the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to raise and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. The majority of forklift engines that are modern are powered by propane as they will be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines would be unsuitable because of the exhaust they generate.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a lift truck. Much like the engine in small automobiles, the engines of the forklift have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. The head of each cylinder has an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Once the operator 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. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, that compresses the mixture of air and propane as each piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the engine's battery and alternator generate 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, resulting in 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 cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.