Narrow Aisle Forklifts
There are specially made lift trucks that operate in narrow warehouse aisles. These machinery are normally known as narrow aisle or very narrow aisle lift trucks. They can negotiate smaller aisles with ease and allow you to enjoy several benefits. Like for example, the increased amount of space to keep objects could significantly increase the overall available inventory of a company.
Narrow aisle forklifts are able to maneuver easily as well. These machinery have been specially engineered to move without a lot of space. Their different design has eliminated many of the things that are squished up into the design of the conventional forklift's main body.
The disadvantage of narrow aisle lift trucks is that they are really slow in comparison to standard lift trucks. Narrow aisle lift trucks will not work if you have to transport objects across long distances. When it comes to speed they will not be a dependable choice. If you also have a regular lift truck, this would not be a problem. You could just use the narrow aisle lift truck to move the load to a central place and then hand it off to a standard lift truck which can travel the bulk of the distance in an efficient and timely method. Usually, narrow aisle lift trucks cannot handle as much lifting weight; hence, outside of smaller loads they are not going to be very useful.
Electric Lift Trucks
For indoor operations like stores or in warehouses, traditional gas forklifts are not a suitable choice. They would not be as safe due to their fumes, or as cost-efficient or helpful compared to an electric powered unit. Electric lift trucks are often engineered to look and work a lot like gas ones, but they utilize electric batteries that must be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
Electric lift trucks are common for a variety of reasons. For starters, they will save you lots of money on fuel expenses. Initially, electric models might cost more but eventually, they make up for this in the long run. For example, when gas prices increase, you will not be affected and will save a lot of cash. Electric models tend to last somewhat a bit longer than gas powered units also. This is partially due to the fact they are mostly used inside and therefore don't get as dirty or work in as harsh environments as the gas powered units. Electric models are healthier to use in places which are poorly ventilated like warehouses and indoor applications as they don't emit noxious fumes. It could be really dangerous to use gas or diesel lift trucks inside.
The electric lift truck does have some disadvantages like the fact that they can really only work for roughly 8 hours. After that the machinery will have to be charged for 8 hours and rested for another 8 hours. A lot of companies get around this condition by buying a spare battery so they could continually cycle them and have less downtime. There are fast charge batteries available on the market that are also minimizing the charging time.