About 60 percent of the forklift market is made up by electric lift truck models. These units get their power from big, heavy lead-acid batteries which that prevents the machine from tipping over since it acts as the counterweight.
The ITA states that electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 lift trucks. The category of Class1 also includes stand-up counterbalanced forklifts as well as other electric trucks that are made for general application. Even if the initial investment when you buy an electric forklift is more as opposed to an internal combustion or IC lift truck, electric lift trucks are less costly to run and operate in the long-run. This is because of lower maintenance and fuel costs, than the internal combustion units.
Most of the electric rider forklift trucks shipped within North America is designed for moving material inside. They are commonly utilized in retail spaces, and warehousing applications. The electric models are the right choice for inside applications as they emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
The battery of an electric forklift could run on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries which weigh upwards of 3000 pounds could be difficult and time consuming. This burdensome job usually requires a dedicated area for handling the battery. Then again, new fast charging technologies are now utilized to update this method and change the procedure to be able to complete it in a much quicker way.
This fast charging technology is considered to be better charging technology. It has revolutionized electric unit lift trucks and the charging time of their batteries. The material handling industry experts, state that these new developments within the battery charging systems and battery technology can reduce charging time by up to 50 percent!
IC Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
The internal combustion powered forklifts will depend on kinds of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are usually used outdoors. Normally, these models are diesel or gas powered and uses pneumatic or air-filled tires so as to make them appropriate for rough environment and steep inclines, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for smooth services and indoor use as they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG model is the most common fuel choice for indoor trucks. Nowadays, there are over 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks working all over the globe. These units provide a huge range of benefits. Like for example, lift trucks that operate on propane fuel maintain 100 percent constant power during operation. What's more, these models provide faster ground speeds compared to other power sources.