Forklift Engines
Forklifts are classed as small-engine vehicles. The engines of the forklift all follow the principles of internal combustion, while the many models and makes of forklift would 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 lower and raise the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Nearly all forklift engines which are modern are powered by propane since they would be utilized for indoor applications, where diesel and gasoline engines will be unsuitable because of the exhaust they create.
A four-cylinder engine-block is normally found in a forklift. Much similar to the engine in small cars, forklift engines have cylinders which contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head has an exhaust hatch, a spark plug and an exhaust hatch, each of them one-way and spring-loaded.
Engine Function
Propane passes through the opened throttle-plate in a fine spray, once the operator starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes with air coming from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Each one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, that compresses the air and propane mixture as each piston rises to the top of the head. With timing that is really precise, the engine's battery and alternator generate an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion which 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 the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust when more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns much cleaner compared to diesel and gasoline and the exhaust is not as harmful.