Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks designed to operate in narrow aisles. A counterbalanced lift truck can turn within the aisle as standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide and this is adequate space. Nonetheless, narrow aisles could be around 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space requires specialized lift truck models which are small, capable of tight turns, could put away loads without pivoting. The common kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the first narrow-aisle lift truck to be developed for warehouse applications. These small trucks could turn without problems in narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the need for a huge counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms which extend in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this particular design is that the outrigger arms can inhibit access to the storage rack since the truck cannot get close enough. These types of trucks truly work well within a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, good flow of traffic and ample space for turning.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck has turning forks on side of the truck. 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 location, the forks of the truck pivot to the storage side and lift 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 which keeps the truck on its path in really narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.