Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Some forklifts are specially designed to fit down very narrow aisles inside a warehouse. These units are known as narrow aisle lift trucks. They can easily negotiate smaller aisles and allow you to enjoy several advantages. For instance, the increased amount of space to keep stuff can really increase a company's overall available stock.
Narrow aisle forklifts can maneuver easily too. These machines have been specially designed to move without a lot of space. Their unique design has eliminated many of the things which are squished up into the design of the traditional lift truck's main body.
The disadvantage of narrow aisle forklifts is that they are really slow compared to regular forklifts. Narrow aisle forklifts would not work if you have to transport items across long distances. When it comes to speed they would not be a reliable alternative. If you also have a regular forklift, this will not be an issue. You can just use the narrow aisle forklift to transport the load to a central site and then hand it off to a standard forklift that could travel the bulk of the distance in a timely and efficient manner. Usually, narrow aisle forklifts cannot handle as much lifting weight; therefore, outside of smaller loads they will not be really helpful.
Electric Lift Trucks
Conventional gas lift trucks are not a suitable option for indoor operations like warehouses or stores. They would not be as safe because of their fumes, or as helpful or cost-efficient than an electric powered model. Electric lift trucks are normally engineered to function and look a lot like gas ones, but they utilize electric batteries that must be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
The electrically powered forklift has become more popular and for a variety of reasons. These machines could help businesses save costs on fuel. Electric units will first cost more, but would ultimately save you more over time. For example, when gas prices go up, you would not be affected and would save a lot of cash. Electric models tend to last somewhat a bit longer as opposed to gas powered units also. This is partially due to the fact they are mainly utilized indoors and hence don't get as dirty or work in as harsh environments as the gas powered ones. Electric models are healthier to utilize in places that are badly ventilated like warehouses and indoor applications because they don't emit noxious fumes. It can be really dangerous to use gas or diesel forklifts inside.
The electric forklift does have several disadvantages like the fact that they can really just work for approximately 8 hours. After that the equipment would need to be charged for 8 hours and rested for another 8 hours. Lots of companies get around this situation by purchasing a spare battery so they can continually cycle them and have less downtime. There are fast charge batteries emerging on the market which are also reducing the charging time.