Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks are electric trucks made to function in narrow aisles. A counterbalanced lift truck could turn in the aisle since standard storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide and this is enough space. On the other hand, narrow aisles can be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area requires specialized lift truck models that are capable of tight turns, small, could put away loads without pivoting. The common kinds 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 applications are the reach trucks. These small trucks can turn without problems in narrow aisles because their design has eliminated the requirement for a big counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The disadvantage of this design is that the outrigger arms could inhibit access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get close enough. These trucks work well inside a warehouse that is well lit, has clean, even floors, good traffic flow and ample turning space.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design has pivoting forks on side of the truck. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward whilst the operator drives down the aisle. When stopped at the designated storage place, the forks of the truck pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and then smoothly 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 very narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.