Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to operate within narrow aisles. A counterbalanced lift truck could turn within the aisle because standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide and this is enough space. Then again, narrow aisles could be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space needs specialized lift truck models which are small, capable of tight turns, and able to put away loads without turning. The popular types of narrow-aisle trucks are order pickers, reach trucks and turret trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The first kinds of narrow-aisle lift trucks manufactured for warehouse use are the reach trucks. These small trucks could easily turn within narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the requirement for a big counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms which extend in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack because the truck cannot get near enough. These trucks truly work well inside a warehouse which is well lit, has clean, even floors, good traffic flow and enough turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck has turning forks on side of the truck. The forks turn 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 place, the forks of the truck turn to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and next easily 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.