Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The type of electric truck which is designed to function within narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. Standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot in the aisle. Then again, narrow aisles could be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area requires specialized types of lift trucks which are small, capable of tight turns, could put away loads without turning. The common types of narrow-aisle trucks are order pickers, reach trucks and turret trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be manufactured for warehouse use. These small trucks could turn with no trouble within narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the requirement for a huge counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this particular design is that the outrigger arms could inhibit access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get near enough. These kinds of trucks really work well inside a warehouse which is well lit, has even, clean floors, good traffic flow and ample space for turning.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design has pivoting forks on side of the truck. 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 place, the forks of the truck turn 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 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.