Lift truck Engines
Forklifts are classified as vehicles with small engines, the same category wherein lawnmowers are categorized. Forklift engines all follow the principles of internal combustion. Various forklift brand names and models would have varying engine layout and design. Forklifts are made more toward generating high torque than for speed. They generally are geared to low speeds. The engine powers the forklift's drive wheels. The engine is also required to lift and lower the forks via a series of chain pulleys. Most modern lift truck engines are powered by propane as they would be used for indoor applications, where gasoline and diesel engines will be inappropriate due to the exhaust they make.

Normally, the forklift is a four-cylinder engine-block. The engines of the forklift are like car engines as they contain pistons connecting to a camshaft. Each and every cylinder head consists of a spark plug, an intake hatch 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 driver starts up the engine of the forklift. This fine spray mixes with air which comes from the mass air intake prior to moving into the cylinder's head intake hatches. Every one of the four pistons is staggered to rise in a precise sequence, which compresses the mixture of propane and air as every piston rises to the top of the head. With really exact timing, the battery and alternator of the engine generate an electrical current that passes through the spark plug. The fuel ignites leading to an explosion that drives the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, resulting in a continuous turning of the camshaft. In the cylinder, an air pressure imbalance causes the the exhaust hatch to draw out exhaust as more fuel passes into the cylinder. Propane burns cleaner compared to gasoline and diesel and the exhaust is not as harmful.