Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks made to operate in narrow aisles. Standard storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot in the aisle. Then again, narrow aisles could be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space needs specialized types of lift trucks which are capable of tight turns, small, could put away loads without turning. The common types of narrow-aisle trucks are reach trucks, turret trucks and orderpickers.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The very first types of narrow-aisle lift trucks manufactured for warehouse use are the reach trucks. These small trucks could easily turn in narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the requirement for a huge counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms which extend in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this particular design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack since the truck cannot get near enough. These kinds of trucks truly work well within a warehouse which is well lit, has even, clean floors, good traffic flow and enough space for turning.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design consists of forks on the side that turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load can face forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage location, the truck's forks turn to the storage side and lift the load to their full extension, and next smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks could come with a wire guidance system that keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. In man-down trucks, operators remain at floor level.