Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Several lift trucks are particularly designed to fit down very narrow aisles inside a warehouse. These units are known as narrow aisle lift trucks. They can negotiate smaller aisles easily and allow you to enjoy some advantages. For instance, the increased amount of area to store things can significantly increase the overall available inventory of a business.
Narrow aisle lift trucks can maneuver easily too. These machines have been particularly designed to move without a lot of space. Their different design has eliminated many of the items that are squished up into the main body of the conventional forklift design.
These forklifts are really slow in comparison to standard forklifts that is among their key drawbacks. If you have to move objects across huge areas, the narrow aisle forklift is not the best. When it comes to speed they will not be a reliable option. If you also have a standard forklift, this will not be an issue. You could simply use the narrow aisle forklift to transport the load to a central location and after that hand it off to a standard lift truck which can travel the bulk of the distance in a timely and efficient manner. Commonly, narrow aisle lift trucks cannot handle as much lifting weight; therefore, outside of smaller loads they will not be very useful.
Electric Lift Trucks
For indoor use such as stores or inside warehouses, traditional gas forklifts are not a suitable alternative. They will not be as safe due to their fumes, or as cost-efficient or useful than an electric powered unit. Electric forklifts are usually designed to function and look a lot like gas ones, but they rely on electric batteries that should be recharged, rather than gasoline fuel.
Electric forklifts are common for a variety of reasons. For starters, they will save you a lot of money on fuel expenses. At first, electric units might cost more but eventually, they make up for this in the long run. Like for instance, when gas prices increase, you would save lots of cash because you will not be affected. Electric models tend to last somewhat a bit longer than gas powered units as well. This is partly due to the fact they are mostly utilized inside and hence don't get as dirty or work in as harsh settings as the gas powered ones. Electric models are healthier to utilize in areas which are badly ventilated like warehouses and indoor operations since they don't emit noxious fumes. It could be really dangerous to use diesel or gas lift trucks inside.
One of the major disadvantages to electric lift trucks 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 condition 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.