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