Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the numerous models and makes of forklift will have a different design and layout. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque rather than for speed. They normally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the drive wheels of the forklift. The engine is also required to lift and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most forklift engines which are modern are fueled by propane as they would be used indoors, where diesel and gasoline engines would be inappropriate due to the exhaust they make.
A four-cylinder engine-block is typically found in a forklift. A lot like the engine in small cars, the engines of the forklift have cylinders that contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head has a spark plug, an intake hatch and an exhaust hatch, each of them spring-loaded and one-way.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, when the driver starts up the forklift engine. This fine spray mixes with air which comes from the mass air intake before moving into the head intake hatches of the cylinder. 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 generate an electrical current which passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites causing an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, causing a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the exhaust to be drawn out through the exhaust hatch as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.