Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Several forklifts are specially designed to fit down very narrow aisles in a warehouse. These units are known as narrow aisle forklifts. They can easily negotiate smaller aisles and enable you to enjoy some advantages. Like for instance, the increased amount of area to store stuff could greatly increase the overall available stock of a company.
The narrow aisle forklift is made to maneuver quite easily, since they are engineered specially to operate in confined spaces. Their unique design has eliminated a lot of the items which are squished up into the design of the conventional forklift's main body.
These forklifts are very slow in comparison to standard lift trucks which is one of their main disadvantages. If you need to transport items across large areas, the narrow aisle forklift is not the best. When it comes to speed they would not be a dependable alternative. If you also have a standard forklift, this would not be a problem. You could simply use the narrow aisle forklift to move the load to a central location and then hand it off to a standard lift truck which can travel the bulk of the distance in a timely and efficient way. Usually, narrow aisle lift trucks cannot handle as much lifting weight; therefore, outside of smaller loads they are not going to be really useful.
Electric Forklifts
For indoor operations such as stores or in warehouses, traditional gas lift trucks are not a suitable option. They would not be as safe due to their fumes, or as cost-efficient or helpful compared to an electric powered unit. Electric lift trucks are often engineered to work and look a lot like gas ones, but they depend on electric batteries that should be recharged, instead of gasoline fuel.
The electrically powered forklift has become more common and for a variety of reasons. These equipment could help businesses save costs on fuel. Electric units would initially cost more, but will ultimately save you more over time. For example, when gas prices increase, you would not be affected and will save a lot of cash. Electric models tend to last quite a bit longer compared to gas powered units also. This is partially due to the fact they are mainly utilized indoors and therefore don't get as dirty or work in as harsh settings as the gas powered models. Electric units are healthier to use in places which are badly ventilated like indoor operations and warehouses since they don't emit noxious fumes. It can be very dangerous to use gas or diesel forklifts inside.
One of the main disadvantages to electric forklifts is the fact they can generally only work for one 8 hour shift before the battery has to be charged for another shift. Numerous businesses get around this situation by buying a spare battery so they can continually cycle them and have less downtime. There are fast charge batteries emerging on the market that are also reducing the charging time.