Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck which is designed to operate in narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. A counterbalanced lift truck could turn in the aisle since standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide and this is adequate space. However, narrow aisles can be 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space needs specific types of lift trucks which are capable of tight turns, small, can put away loads without turning. The popular types of narrow-aisle trucks are order pickers, reach trucks and turret trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be manufactured for warehouse use. These small trucks could easily turn in narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the requirement for a large counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The downside of this particular design is that the outrigger arms can hinder access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get near enough. These trucks truly work well inside a warehouse that is well lit, has clean, even floors, good traffic flow and ample turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck consists of forks on the side that turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage location, the truck's forks pivot to the storage side and lift the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks can come with a wire guidance system that keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.