The field coil/stator acts as the magnet in your hand. Current runs into the wire in a single direction which determines this part has fixed north and south poles with the capability to repel opposite poles.
The commutator/armature is the shaft-mounted magnet. Like the stator, it has a magnetic field formed when current is introduced to the wire wrapping. Since it can rotate it will move to try to match unlike poles to that of the stator.
The brushes provide the reversing action similar to the action of turning the magnet on the shaft. The action of that reversal forced the rotating magnet away again as it attempted to realign unlike poles to those of the stator. The commutator reverses the polarity of the rotor continuously so that it will always act as an opposite pole to the fixed stator poles.
These actions produce smooth, yet powerful and efficient, mechanical energy or revolutions per minute (RPM). In a forklift, the motor is connected directly to the drive axle – there is no transmission or drive shaft. Thus the splined, or grooved, end of the armature drives the gear in the axle, governing speed and power according to current introduced from the accelerator circuit of the electrical system.
Some electric forklift motors are able to accept either 36- or 48-volt batteries. A 36-volt battery is capable of handling most jobs; however, when faster travel and lift speeds are necessary, or when a forklift must handle longer work shifts, a 48-volt battery can be connected to the same motor.
