You may be surprised to know how many businesses here in Southern Pennsylvania rely of forklifts as part of their operations. These businesses include:
Forklifts allow workers to move materials quickly, efficiently and safely. Using propane to power your business’s forklifts improves all of that.
Sweetwater Propane offers complete propane forklift cylinder services for businesses like yours. Our team of commercial propane experts will discuss how your business uses forklifts, how many cylinders you need on hand, how often you will need cylinders exchanged and set up a personalized forklift cylinder exchange schedule.
That schedule is flexible and can easily be adjusted to your business’s needs. That is the responsive service we provide that no big, national propane company can match.
We also set up forklift cylinder cages for safe and secure storage at your business or job site. We also make sure that your employees are knowledgeable about the safe handling and use of propane forklift cylinders.
Instead of having a built-in gasoline tank, the fuel for the forklift comes from a propane cylinder. These cylinders are most commonly 33 pounds, while some forklift cylinders that do bigger jobs use 43-pound cylinders.
The liquid propane is sent from the cylinder to the engine of the forklift, where it depressurizes and is converted into vapor. A throttle installed in the forklift controls how much vapor flows.
Similar to the engine in your car, the vaporized propane mixes with air and is ignited by a spark plug. The ignition on a forklift starts the pressure that moves pistons and ultimately creates power. The power turns the wheels and runs the hydraulic pump that lifts materials.
The ease of refueling is just one of the many reasons businesses are choosing propane forklifts over forklifts powered by gasoline or electricity. Let’s run through some of the benefits using propane-powered forklifts offers.
Propane forklifts have superior power than electric forklifts. As long as the cylinder has fuel, propane-powered forklifts can be used at full power, while electric models gradually lose power as the battery drains. Furthermore, propane-powered forklifts are able to carry heavier loads and achieve better results on inclines than their electric counterparts.
Propane forklifts are easier to refuel than gasoline or electric forklifts. The ease and speed of refueling a propane forklift are some of the reasons so many businesses like them. When a full cylinder is needed, workers simply turn off the gas supply valve, disconnect the gas line, remove the empty cylinder and put it in the designated exchange storage cage, then attach a full cylinder. They’re back on the job in less than five minutes! Electric forklifts, on the other hand, can be sidelined eight hours or more for recharging and you also need to set aside space for charging stations. With gasoline-powered forklifts, there’s always the risk of a fuel spill and the hassle and expense of cleaning it up.
Propane forklifts can be used both indoors and outside. Because propane forklifts do not generate any emissions, they can safely be used indoors as long as propane safety best practices are followed. They can also be used outdoors, which makes them ideal for businesses that use their forklifts both outside and indoors. Propane forklifts can safely run outdoors in wet conditions, something electric forklifts cannot do.
Propane forklifts are better for the environment. Propane is much cleaner burning than other fuels and was named an alternative fuel in both the 1990 Clean Air Act and 1992 National Energy Policy. This clean burning reduces wear on your forklifts’ engines. As a result of using propane, your forklifts will run more smoothly, require less maintenance check-ups and have a longer lifespan than those powered by other types of fuel. About half of the country’s electricity supply comes from coal-fired power plants. Therefore, choosing propane creates a smaller carbon footprint for your forklift fleet.
Put the experience and resources of Sweetwater Propane to work for your business’s propane forklift needs! Contact us to set up a consultation.
