Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The type of electric truck which is designed to operate in narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. A counterbalanced lift truck can turn within the aisle since standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide and this is sufficient space. Nevertheless, narrow aisles can be around 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area needs specific types of lift trucks that are small, capable of tight turns, can put away loads without turning. The common kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be developed for warehouse applications. These small trucks can turn without problems in narrow aisles because their design has eliminated the need for a huge counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms extending 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 near enough. These trucks work well in a warehouse which is well lit, has even, clean floors, good flow of traffic and ample space for turning.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck consists of forks on the side that pivot. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once stopped at the designated storage location, the forks of the truck pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and next smoothly 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. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.