Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to operate within narrow aisles. Standard storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide, sufficient space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot in the aisle. Then again, narrow aisles can be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space requires specialized kinds of lift trucks that are small, capable of tight turns, can put away loads without pivoting. The popular types of narrow-aisle trucks are order pickers, reach trucks and turret trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The very first kinds of narrow-aisle lift trucks developed for warehouse use are the reach trucks. These small trucks can easily turn within narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the need for a huge counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The downside of this particular design is that the outrigger arms can hinder access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get close enough. These trucks work well in a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, ample space for turning and good traffic flow.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design includes forks on the side that turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. When it stops at the designated storage place, the forks of the truck pivot 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 can come with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. In man-down trucks, operators remain at floor level.