Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to function in narrow aisles. Standard storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to turn in the aisle. Then again, narrow aisles could be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space requires specialized kinds of lift trucks which are small, capable of tight turns, could put away loads without turning. The popular kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be developed for warehouse applications. These small trucks can easily turn in narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the need for a huge counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms which extend in front of the truck. The downside of this design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get near enough. These trucks really work well within a warehouse which is well lit, has clean, even floors, good traffic flow and ample turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck consists of forks on the side that turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage location, the forks of the truck pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks are available with a wire guidance system that keeps the truck on its path in really narrow aisles. In man-down trucks, operators remain at floor level.