Electric lift truck units make up almost 60 percent of the lift truck market. These units get their power from heavy, huge lead-acid batteries that that prevents the machine from tipping over since it gives it the counterweight.
According to the ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 forklifts. Class 1 is the category which includes all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Even though the first investment when you purchase an electric forklift is more than an IC or internal combustion lift truck, electric forklifts are less expensive to run and operate in the long-run. This is due to lesser maintenance and fuel costs, in comparison to the IC units.
Within North America, most electric rider forklifts are designed for moving materials indoors. Electric rider trucks are used most frequently in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric models are the right option for inside applications due to their ability to emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
What's more, electric forklift could normally run a complete 8 hour shift on a single battery charge. Reloading, recharging and removing batteries, which roughly weigh about 3000 lbs. could be time consuming and hard. This cumbersome job usually needs a dedicated space for handling the battery. However, new fast charging technologies are now utilized to update this process and change the procedure to be able to complete it in a much faster method.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has changed electric model lift trucks and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling industry experts, state that these new changes in the battery technology and battery charging systems could cut charging time by up to 50%!
Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Forklifts
IC forklifts rely on a variety of different kinds of fuels, like LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The larger lift trucks are commonly utilized outside. Normally, these units are diesel or gas powered and utilizes pneumatic or air-filled tires so as to make them suitable for steep slopes and rough terrain, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for smooth services and indoor applications because they are made from solid rubber.
The most common fuel option for indoor trucks is LPG. There are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts today which are operating in DCs and in warehouses. These models offer a huge range of advantages. Like for instance, forklifts which run on propane fuel maintain 100 percent constant power during operation. Furthermore, these models provide faster ground speeds than other power sources.