Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck which is made to function within narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. Standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide, enough space for a counterbalanced lift truck to turn in the aisle. Nonetheless, narrow aisles could be around 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area needs specific lift truck models which are capable of tight turns, small, can put away loads without pivoting. The popular kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are reach trucks, turret trucks and orderpickers.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be manufactured for warehouse applications. These small trucks can easily turn in narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the requirement for a big counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack since the truck cannot get close enough. These trucks work well within a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, ample space for turning and good traffic flow.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design consists of forks on the side that turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward whilst the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage place, the truck's forks 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 could come 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.