Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck that is made to operate within narrow aisles is known as a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. A counterbalanced lift truck could turn within the aisle because standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide and this is adequate space. On the other hand, narrow aisles could be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area needs specialized lift truck models which are capable of tight turns, small, can put away loads without turning. The popular types 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 use. These small trucks can easily turn in narrow aisles because their design has eliminated the requirement 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 could inhibit access to the storage rack since the truck cannot get near enough. These types of trucks work well inside a warehouse which is well lit, has clean, even floors, good flow of traffic and enough space for turning.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design includes forks on the side that turn. The forks pivot 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load could face forward while the operator drives down the aisle. When it stops at the designated storage location, the forks of the truck pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and next smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks are available with a wire guidance system that keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.