Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks made to operate in narrow aisles. Standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide, enough space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot in the aisle. On the other hand, narrow aisles can be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space needs specific kinds of lift trucks that are capable of tight turns, small, and able to put away loads without pivoting. The common kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The first types of narrow-aisle lift trucks manufactured for warehouse use are the reach trucks. These small trucks can easily turn in narrow aisles because their design has eliminated the need for a big counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms which extend in front of the truck. The downside of this particular design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack because the truck cannot get close enough. These kinds of trucks truly work well within a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, good flow of traffic and enough turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck consists of forks on the side that pivot. The forks pivot 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 truck's forks pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks can come with a wire guidance system that keeps the truck on its path in really narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.