Propane cylinders take up little space and they can be kept either outside of a facility or inside of a storage area. It does take some time to switch out a propane cylinder, although, it still does needs operator training in order to be conducted safely and also need knowledge of safety standards like the OSHA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Compared to the electric truck, IC forklifts are easier and faster to refuel. However, the internal combustion engine does produce polluting emissions and are very noisy.
NARROW-AISLE LIFT TRUCKS
The Class 2 forklifts consists of many kinds of lift truck that are particularly designed to be utilized in narrow aisles. The standard storage aisles are 12 feet wide, and this easily allows a counterbalanced lift truck to turn in the aisle and put a load away. Normally, narrow aisles are 8 feet wide, whereas the very narrow aisles are around 5.5 to 6 feet wide. These narrow aisles require specialized lift trucks which can put away loads which are small enough to turn on a tight radius or without any turning at all.
Turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks are 3 of the most common narrow-aisle forklifts. The differences amongst these lift trucks are discussed below.
Narrow-Aisle Reach Trucks
The original narrow-aisle forklift is considered to be the traditional reach truck. These machinery do not require a huge counterweight and are thus, small enough to turn in narrow aisles. Instead, stability is provided by the outrigger arms that extend in front of the trucks. However, these outrigger arms can prevent the forklifts from getting close enough to the storage rack to retrieve and deposit loads, depending on the storage configuration. To be able to overcome this situation, a pantograph was designed. The pantograph is actually a reach truck that is designed with a telescoping mechanism. This enables forks to easily and concisely reach into storage areas.
The best environment for narrow aisle lift trucks is a place that has good lighting, clean floors and good traffic flow, well-maintained floor, as well as sufficient turning space.
These machinery have revolutionized the material handling industry. Toyota stands behind their commitment to giving extremely durable machinery and exceptional quality. As the company changes, they continually strive to implement solutions in order to give their diverse customer base with the best available products.