You're right, you don't have all the facts. You also seem to lack some basic knowledge of Corvettes. When was the last time you saw a Corvette that didn't have a rev limiter built in to keep it from going past redline? I'm not an authority, but I believe 1984 was the first year they had them. Awe heck, they've only been around for three decades...anybody could overlook that. About the only way to seriously over rev a stock modern Corvette is during a downshift, but that wasn't how this happened...steady state, going down the road in first gear. The car was dead stock since it was only a few months old and he knew better than to modify anything since he had a warranty problem developing. He ran it right under the rev limiter until it turned itself into shrapnel....contrary to your "theory" which I'm guessing you've never actually tested.
Simple fact, light-duty engines like what we see in cars and light trucks can be damaged while operating within their RPM/load limits. Heavy-duty cycle engines normally can't hurt themselves even with an idiot operator....wide open throttle, in any gear, and they won't be damaged. That's the difference.
An argument that can't speak? I'm not "picking" on anything, I'm pointing out ridiculous comparisons that people are making here...not one includes an engine operating at rated power for hours on end.
I don't know what sort of crazy businesses you've been involved in, but I've never seen fork lifts operated with their engines making rated power, or close to it for hours on end....throttle set in one position and left there. Carrying weight, lifting weight etc has nothing to do with the duty cycle of the engine....stop trying to even include that. The only thing that matters is how much power the engine is making, relative to it's maximum power, and how long it makes that amount of power. Power relative to weight will influence speed (and transmission choices) but won't change the duty cycle of the engine. This really isn't overly complicated.
Trying to suggest that a fork truck engine is built for as heavy a duty cycle as a tractor engine is pretty comical....seriously, it's really funny. :laughing: