Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Some forklifts are particularly made to fit down very narrow aisles inside a warehouse. These units are known as narrow aisle lift trucks. They could negotiate smaller aisles with ease and allow you to enjoy several benefits. For example, the increased amount of area to keep objects could really increase the overall available stock of a company.
The narrow aisle forklift is manufactured to maneuver quite easily, because they are engineered specifically to operate in tight spaces. Their different design has eliminated many of the items that are squished up into the main body of the traditional forklift design.
These forklifts are really slow in comparison to standard lift trucks which is one of their major drawbacks. If you need to transport objects across huge areas, the narrow aisle forklift is not the best. In terms of speed they will not be a reliable choice. If you also have a regular forklift, this would not be a problem. You could just use the narrow aisle forklift to transport the load to a central site and then hand it off to a regular lift truck that can travel the bulk of the distance in a timely and efficient method. Usually, narrow aisle forklifts cannot handle as much lifting weight; thus, outside of smaller loads they are not going to be really effective.
Electric Lift Trucks
Conventional gas lift trucks are not a suitable choice for indoor operations such as warehouses or stores. They will not be as safe because of their fumes, or as helpful or cost-efficient compared to an electric powered unit. Electric forklifts are often engineered to work and look a lot like gas ones, but they use electric batteries that should be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
The electrically powered lift truck has become more common and for a range of reasons. These machines could help companies save costs on fuel. Electric models will initially cost more, but will eventually save you more over time. For example, when gas prices increase, you will save lots of cash as you will not be affected. Electric units tend to last quite a bit longer compared to gas powered units also. This is partially due to the fact they are mostly utilized indoors and therefore don't get as dirty or work in as harsh settings as the gas powered units. Electric models are healthier to use in poorly ventilated areas such as indoor operations and warehouses since they don't emit noxious fumes. It could be very dangerous to use gas or diesel lift trucks inside.
The electric forklift does have some downsides like the fact that they could really just work for roughly 8 hours. Afterward the machinery would have to be charged for 8 hours and rested for another 8 hours. Many companies get around this situation by buying an extra battery so they could have less downtime and continually cycle them. There are fast charge batteries available on the market that are also reducing the charging time.