Pallet Trucks
A pallet truck is a tool used to lift and move pallets. Pallet jacks are the most basic form of a fork lift and are intended to move and organize pallets with in a warehouse.
Operational Principle:
The truck is steered by a lever that also acts as the pump handle for raising the truck. A small handle on the lever releases the hydraulic fluid, causing the forks to lower. The front wheels inside the end of the forks are mounted on levers attached to link ages that go to levers attached to the truck cylinder. As the hydraulic jack at the lever end is raised, the links force the wheels down, raising the forks vertically above the front wheels, raising the load upward until it clears the floor.
The pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel.
A pallet truck typically has steering wheels in the front, while each fork has either a single wheel or two bogie wheels.