Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Several forklifts are especially made to fit down very narrow aisles inside a warehouse. These units are referred to as narrow aisle lift trucks. They could negotiate smaller aisles with ease and allow you to enjoy several benefits. Like for instance, the increased amount of space to store stuff can greatly increase a company's overall available inventory.
The narrow aisle lift truck is made to maneuver quite easily, since they are engineered particularly to operate in tight areas. Their unique design has eliminated many of the things that are squished up into the design of the conventional lift truck's main body.
The downside of narrow aisle forklifts is that they are really slow in comparison to regular forklifts. Narrow aisle forklifts would not work if you need to transport items across large distances. When it comes to speed they would not be a dependable alternative. If you also have a regular forklift, this would not be an issue. You could just use the narrow aisle forklift to transport the load to a central site and after that hand it off to a regular lift truck which can travel the bulk of the distance in an efficient and timely method. Frequently, narrow aisle forklifts cannot handle as much lifting weight; therefore, outside of smaller loads they would not be really effective.
Electric Lift Trucks
Traditional gas forklifts are not a suitable option for indoor operations such as stores or warehouses. They would not be as safe because of their fumes, or as cost-efficient or useful than an electric powered unit. Electric lift trucks are normally engineered to work and look a lot like gas ones, but they use electric batteries that must be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
Electric lift trucks are popular for a variety of reasons. For starters, they would save you lots of money on fuel expenses. Initially, electric units might cost more but over time, they make up for this in the long run. Like for example, when gas prices increase, you would save a lot of cash since you will not be affected. Electric models tend to last quite a bit longer as opposed to gas powered units also. This is partially because of the fact they are mostly used inside and therefore don't get as dirty or work in as harsh environments as the gas powered ones. Electric units are healthier to use in places which are poorly ventilated like indoor operations and warehouses as they don't emit noxious fumes. It can be extremely dangerous to use diesel or gas lift trucks indoors.
Among the major disadvantages to electric forklifts is the fact they can normally just work for one 8 hour shift before the battery needs to be charged for another shift. Numerous companies get around this condition by buying an extra battery so they can have less downtime and continually cycle them. There are fast charge batteries available on the market that are also reducing the charging time.