Narrow Aisle Lift trucks
There are especially designed lift trucks that operate in narrow warehouse aisles. These machines are usually referred to as vary narrow aisle or narrow aisle lift trucks. They could negotiate smaller aisles easily and allow you to enjoy several benefits. For instance, the increased amount of space to keep objects can really increase the overall available stock of a business.
Narrow aisle lift trucks could maneuver easily also. These machines have been specially engineered to move without much space. Their different design has eliminated many of the items that are squished up into the design of the conventional lift truck's main body.
These lift trucks are really slow in comparison to regular lift trucks that is amongst their major disadvantages. If you have to move objects across huge areas, the narrow aisle forklift is not the best. In terms of speed they will not be a reliable alternative. If you also have a standard forklift, this will not be an issue. You can simply use the narrow aisle lift truck to move the load to a central place and then hand it off to a standard forklift which could 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 would not be really effective.
Electric Lift Trucks
For indoor use such as stores or inside warehouses, conventional gas forklifts are not a suitable alternative. They would not be as safe because of their fumes, or as helpful or cost-efficient compared to an electric powered model. Electric lift trucks are often engineered to work and look a lot like gas ones, but they utilize electric batteries that need to be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
The electrically powered forklift has become more common and for a variety of reasons. These machinery can help businesses save expenses on fuel. Electric units will initially cost more, but will ultimately save you more over time. For example, when gas prices increase, you will save a lot of cash as you would not be affected. Electric units tend to last somewhat a bit longer than gas powered models as well. This is partly because of the fact they are mostly used inside and thus don't get as dirty or work in as harsh environments as the gas powered units. Electric models are healthier to use in poorly ventilated places like indoor applications and warehouses because they don't emit noxious fumes. It can be very dangerous to utilize gas or diesel forklifts indoors.
Amongst the major disadvantages to electric forklifts is the fact they can usually just work for one 8 hour shift before the battery needs to be charged for another shift. Many companies get around this situation by purchasing a spare battery so they can have less downtime and continually cycle them. There are fast charge batteries emerging on the market that are also minimizing the charging time.