Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck which is made to operate within narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. Standard storage aisles are 3.6 meters wide, enough space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot within the aisle. Nevertheless, narrow aisles can be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area needs specific lift truck models which are small, capable of tight turns, and able to put away loads without turning. The common types 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 could turn without problems within narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the need for a large counterweight. Instead, stability is 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 because the truck cannot get close enough. These trucks work well within a warehouse that is well lit, has even, clean floors, enough turning space and good traffic flow.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck has turning forks on side of the truck. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load can face forward while the operator drives down the aisle. When it stops at the designated storage place, the truck's forks pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and next easily deposit the load prior to resuming their original position. Turret trucks are available with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. In man-down trucks, operators remain at floor level.