Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck which is made to operate in narrow aisles is referred to as a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. A counterbalanced lift truck can turn in the aisle because standard storage aisles are only 3.6 meters wide and this is enough space. Nevertheless, narrow aisles can be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space requires specialized lift truck models that are small, capable of tight turns, and able to put away loads without turning. The popular kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
The first kinds of narrow-aisle lift trucks developed for warehouse applications are the reach trucks. These small trucks could easily turn in narrow aisles because their design has eliminated the requirement for a big counterweight. Stability is instead provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The downside of this particular design is that the outrigger arms could hinder access to the storage rack because the truck cannot get near enough. These trucks truly work well within a warehouse which is well lit, has clean, even floors, good traffic flow and enough turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck includes forks on the side that pivot. The forks pivot 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. When it stops at the designated storage place, the truck's forks turn to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load prior to resuming their original position. Turret trucks can come with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in really narrow aisles. In man-down trucks, operators remain at floor level.