About 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric lift truck models. These units derive their power from heavy, huge lead-acid batteries which that prevents the equipment from tipping over since it acts as the counterweight.
Based on ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category that covers all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric forklifts. Although the first investment when you purchase an electric lift truck is more than an internal combustion or IC lift truck, electric lift trucks are less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is because of lower maintenance and fuel expenses, compared to the internal combustion models.
Within North America, the majority of electric rider lift trucks are made for transporting materials indoors. Electric rider forklifts are utilized most frequently in retail spaces, and warehousing applications. The electric units are the right choice for inside applications due to their ability to make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
The battery of an electric lift truck could operate on average for 8 hours or for a single shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries that weigh upwards of 3000 pounds could be difficult and time consuming. This cumbersome job usually needs a dedicated area for battery handling. However, new fast charging technologies are now used to update this method and change the procedure to be able to complete it in a much faster way.
This fast charging technology is considered to be better charging technology. It has revolutionized electric unit lift trucks and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The professionals of the material handling industry, state that these new developments in the battery charging systems and battery technology could reduce charging time by up to 50 percent!
IC Counterbalanced Forklifts
The IC powered forklifts will rely on kinds of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, CNG or compressed natural gas and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are commonly utilized outdoors. Generally, these units are diesel or gas powered and utilizes pneumatic or air-filled tires in order to make them suitable for steep inclines and rough environment, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are better suited for smooth services and indoor applications because they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG model is the most common fuel option for indoor trucks. Today, there are over 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks working all over the world. These units provide a wide variety of advantages. For instance, propane-fueled lift trucks maintain 100% consistent power during operation. In addition, these models offer faster ground speeds as opposed to other power sources.