There are plenty of forklift types and components to pick from for your business. Having a piece of upfront insight and knowledge of the standard types of forklifts can go a long way in assisting you pick the most ideal forklift to maximize productivity.
Choosing the proper lift truck for your company is all about finding the finest forklift for your application. Below are many of the aspects business owners must entertain when choosing the correct forklift for the job.
IC and Electric Forklifts
Forklifts can be diverged into two broad categories – internal combustion (IC) and electric forklifts:
Internal Combustion Lift Trucks
Internal Combustion (IC) lift trucks are more often located in outdoor environments, as they hold up well to inclement weather and temperature differences. In known, they are better served for lifting and moving heavy loads and offer dependable performance.
IC forklifts typically come with a lower upfront cost when compared to electric forklifts. Downtime is rarely an issue as they are fast and effortless to refill and keep moving. If you require to use IC forklifts indoors, it is vital to know the emissions of the IC forklift and the ventilation in your facility.
Electric Lift Trucks
Commonly speaking, electric forklifts typically come with a greater upfront cost when compared to internal combustion forklifts. This is counterbalanced by a longer operating life and lower maintenance expenses. Electric forklifts are often excellent for indoor environments or possessed warehouses as they have lower emissions than IC forklifts.
A big aspect to consider for electric forklifts is their run times. Not all electric forklifts are developed the same, and forklift batteries with short run times can result in lost productivity while you are waiting for your batteries to recharge. When deciding on an electric forklift make sure that it is backed up with a long-lasting run time warranty, many of which come with a 2 shift 1 charge guarantee. This guarantees at least 16 working hours on a single battery charge.
3-Wheel or 4-Wheel Lift Trucks?
Many business owners can choose from three-wheel or four-wheel forklift standards. Several key differences make each of them excellent for certain applications and environments.
3-Wheel
The turning radius for three-wheel forklifts is more undersized when compared to four-wheel forklifts. This creates three-wheel forklifts well-suited for warehouses with packed aisles or other working environments with small openings.
4-wheel forklifts are typically a bit “tougher” than 3-wheel forklifts. They normally have better gradeability, or better capability to travel on a ramp or slope, as well as on uneven characters. They normally offer more power and offer higher load capacities. All of this creates four-wheel forklifts excellent for outdoor environments where space is more open and the ground may be an uneven surface.
Specific Forklift Types
Many of the components found on the specific forklift types below can be connected. For example, many limited aisle forklifts have moving mast components.
Order Pickers
Order pickers are used for warehouse order-picking applications and are prepared to make the order-picking process as comfortable and cost-effective as possible.
Operators can regain individual items from a pallet without needing to lower the pallet to the floor. This is because order pickers can lower or increase operators to the same level that the pallet is located.
Narrow Aisle Forklifts
Also known as biased aisle order pickers, or narrow aisle reach trucks, this type of order picker is prepared to work in warehouses with narrow aisle spaces. Some narrow aisle forklifts are either classified as Narrow Aisle (NA) or Very Narrow Aisle (VNA).
Pantograph Reach Trucks
The forks of pantograph reach trucks can “reach” beyond their stabilizing legs to recover and place loads at high levels – driving them well-suited for warehouse applications. They typically have excellent maneuverability and have a small turning radius – similar to three-wheel forklifts.
Moving Mast Reach Trucks
Along with a mast that proceeds vertically, moving mast-reach trucks have a mast that can move horizontally. This is perfect for warehouse situations where moving the base of the forklift may not be the most efficient way to recover loads from high heights. The horizontal movement gives operators further control, allowing for faster fork placement and easier picking.
Turret Trucks
Turret trucks are scheduled for warehouses with very narrow aisles. The carriage can rotate a full 180⁰, so the operators can quickly and effortlessly pick loads from warehouse aisles without having to turn the base of the turret truck.
Hand Pallet Jacks
Also understood as manual pallet trucks, and pedestrian-operated pallet trucks, hand pallet jacks operate a manually operated hydraulic jack to lift or lower a pallet load. They are pushed manually by the operator and are generally used in indoor warehouse applications.
Hand pallet jacks are operated at the ground level and are not scheduled for lifting pallets to high heights. They are tiny, easy to operate, and are reasonable for simple and easy applications.