Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to function in narrow aisles. Typical storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to turn within the aisle. Nevertheless, narrow aisles can be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space needs specialized lift truck models which are capable of tight turns, small, could put away loads without turning. The common types of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the first narrow-aisle lift truck to be developed for warehouse applications. These small trucks could easily turn in narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the requirement for a huge counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms which extend 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 close enough. These trucks work well inside a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, good traffic flow and ample turning space.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design includes forks on the side which turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward whilst the operator drives down the aisle. When stopped at the designated storage location, the forks of the truck turn to the storage side and lift the load to their full extension, and then easily deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks can come with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.