It is essential to figure out what type of needs you have prior to choosing the warehouse truck. Think about things such as how high you plan to lift your loads, how much you need to lift, how much space you need to work in and how far you would like to travel. These factors will influence your purchasing decision and help decipher which type of forklift truck is really the ideal one out there to suit all your needs and meet your overall expectations.
Normal Aisles
Pedestrian stackers are the most economical as these machinery are best utilized in normal width aisles and are able to finish ordinary warehouse stacking jobs. They are capable of easily lifting cargo of less than 750kg and be able to stack them to heights of about 4.5 metres. One more type called rider stackers can successfully raise loads to approximately 6 metres.
Yet another alternative to consider are reach trucks as they provide much greater load and lift capacities, while several models complete with telescopic forks. This characteristic enables you the ability to stack pallets two deep. For extra flexibility in goods handling, there is a multi-way and a 4-way reach truck which as the name implies, can be driven in four directions. These models are specifically best for handling long and bulky objects like planks, boards and piping.
Counterbalance trucks are best suited for traveling longer distance and are a great alternative for stacking jobs, especially block stacking. They are also a great choice for stacking cargo that weigh over 2 tonnes and free stacking.
A Tight Squeeze
The aisle space in a high-density storage operation would normally be much narrower, whilst the heights may be quite higher as well. The Man-up telescopic lift trucks are best used in narrow aisle, high-bay stores. They offer the driver or operator a good view of the stacking process. There are also models called man-up combi trucks. These are quite versatile in that they could be utilized for both order- picking and stacking tasks. They could be utilized in narrow aisles or driven all over the warehouse.