Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to operate in narrow aisles. Standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to turn within the aisle. Nevertheless, narrow aisles could be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area needs specialized types of lift trucks which are capable of tight turns, small, can put away loads without turning. The popular kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The very first types of narrow-aisle lift trucks developed for warehouse use are the reach trucks. These small trucks can easily turn in narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the need for a large counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The downside of this design is that the outrigger arms can hinder access to the storage rack because the truck cannot get near enough. These kinds of trucks work well within a warehouse which is well lit, has clean, even floors, enough space for turning and good traffic flow.
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 whilst the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage location, the truck's forks pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load prior to resuming their original position. Turret trucks can 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.