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 performed safely and also need knowledge of safety standards like for example the Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA.
Internal combustion lift trucks are easier and faster to refuel, compared to electric forklifts, but the internal combustion or IC engines create major air-polluting emissions and are extremely noisy.
NARROW-AISLE LIFT TRUCKS
The ITA's Class 2 trucks consist of a huge array of electric forklifts and these are specially made to be used in narrow aisles. The typical 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 approximately 5.5 to 6 feet wide. These narrow aisles require specialized forklifts which are capable of putting away cargo that are small enough to turn on a tight radius or without any turning at all.
Reach trucks, turret trucks and order pickers 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 conventional reach truck. These machinery do not require a huge counterweight and are therefore, small enough to turn in narrow aisles. Instead, stability is provided by the outrigger arms which extend in front of the lift trucks. However, these outrigger arms can prevent the forklifts from getting close enough to the storage rack to deposit and retrieve loads, depending on the storage configuration. To be able to overcome this situation, a pantograph was designed. The pantograph is a reach truck that is designed with a telescoping device. This enables forks to reach into storage areas easily and concisely.
The best environment for narrow aisle forklifts is a place that has clean floors, good lighting and well maintained floor, good traffic flow, in addition to ample turning space.
These types of machines have revolutionized the material handling business. Toyota stands behind their devotion to offering exceptional quality and very durable machinery. As the business evolves, they always strive to implement solutions so as to offer their diverse client base with the best available products.