Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Forklifts

Forklifts are most commonly known for playing an important role in the moving and handling of heavy goods, often across a multitude of different sectors and industries. But along with transporting stock safely and efficiently, there are also a number of other uses forklifts have that you might not know about and we’re on hand to tell you about them.

Things you didn’t know about forklifts

War helped forklift technology to advance

The forklift was invented in the early 1900’s, although it’s argued that they appeared, in some form, way before then. They came into play as the Industrial Revolution took off and became a popular form of machinery by the 1920’s, although they were known then as ‘lift tractors’ instead of ‘forklifts’.

However, World War One actually catapulted the equipment into the spotlight, as they were used to transport heavy weapons and copious amounts of ammunition into battle. The early forklift was implemented to make factories more productive and also cheaper to run as fewer people were needed to move stock around.

Forklifts operate in a similar way to spiders

Forklifts don’t have eight wheels, but they move like spiders in a different way. The eight-legged creatures actually use hydraulic pressure to lift, support and move all of their legs, this is because they’re invertebrates and so don’t have any bones in their bodies. Forklifts also use hydraulic pressure to raise and lower the forks, just like how spiders move their limbs.

Thieves have used forklifts to commit crimes

One of the most common pieces of machinery to be stolen from warehouses and construction sites are forklifts. Where they’re perfect for operation in and around the warehouse, thieves have found them to be mightily useful when it comes to committing crime. There have been numerous instances where forklifts have been used to lift and pull out large, heavy items, like ATM machines, for example.

Forklifts are incredibly safe to operate

When you have trained personnel behind the wheel of your forklifts, then they’re considered to be one of the safest pieces of heavy warehouse machinery on the market, especially when employees on the shop floor act responsibly around them.

Therefore, they don’t actually cause as many accidents as people might have otherwise thought. Their extensive range of capabilities and in-depth training programmes means they’ve never been safer to use in and around the warehouse.

Did you know?

There are lots of different facts about forklifts that you might not have known about. So, did you

• There are many different types of forklift available, including diesel forklifts and eco-friendly alternatives such as electric and LPG forklifts
• There are a number of different forklift attachments available to enhance their existing capabilities
• Forklifts have load capacity plates that record that particular model’s weight capacity and these are called ‘Data Plates’
• States in the USA often hold forklift rodeos where specific challenges are set and participants are expected to complete them to be in with a chance of winning their own forklift

Multy Lift are proud to be able to provide our customers with high-quality, robust, new and used forklifts that will stand the test of time. As well as LPG, diesel and electric forklifts, we’re also able to supply warehouse equipment, including reach trucks, pallet trucks, stackers, order pickers, tow trucks and scissor lifts. For more information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our expert team – we’re always on hand to guide customers through our specialist products and services.