The forklift is a mobile machinery which uses 2 forks or prongs to lift and place cargo into positions which will be normally difficult to reach. Normally, lift trucks fall into 2 main categories: industrial and rough-terrain.
Industrial lift trucks are most often used around truck and train loading docks in addition to many warehouse applications. These equipment have smaller tires which are designed to run on paved surfaces. Normally, industrial lift trucks are powered by an internal gasoline engine running on propane or diesel fuel.
There are some smaller industrial lift truck models that use an electric motor running off an internal battery. As the name implies, rough terrain lift trucks are engineered to run on unpaved and rough surfaces. Usually, they are the great alternative for construction and military operation. Rough terrain forklifts normally have big pneumatic tires that are usually powered by internal industrial engines which run on diesel or propane fuel. These forklift models can have a telescoping boom, capable of lifting cargo up and out from the base of the equipment or they may use a vertical tower, that is responsible for lifting loads straight up.
In the year 1946, the rough terrain forklift emerged as a 2 pronged lift attachment was placed on a tractor chassis or a power buggy. This first machinery was used around construction sites and was able to lift to a height of 30 inches or 76 cm and had a lifting capacity can lift 454 kg or 1000 pounds. Vertical tower forklifts were rapidly developed for industrial application and rough terrain lift trucks became famous as well. By the time the 1950s came around, there were available models which can raise up to heights of 30 feet or 9 meters and had lift capacities of 2500 pounds or 1135 kg.
The original 4-wheel drive rough terrain forklift was introduced during the year 1958. It offered a capacity of 6000 lbs. or 2724 kg and had a lift height of 7 meters or 22.5 feet or 1362 kg or 3000 lbs. and 11 meters or 35 feet. The very first telescoping boom rough terrain forklift emerged on the market in 1962. This unit enabled loads to be positioned out from the equipment's base both below and above grade.