Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck that is made to operate within narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. A counterbalanced lift truck can turn within the aisle as standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide and this is enough space. Nonetheless, narrow aisles can be around 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow area requires specific lift truck models which are small, capable of tight turns, and able to put away loads without turning. The popular kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are reach trucks, turret trucks and orderpickers.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the very first narrow-aisle lift truck to be developed for warehouse applications. These small trucks could easily turn within narrow aisles since their design has eliminated the requirement for a huge 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 inhibit access to the storage rack since the truck cannot get close enough. These trucks work well in a warehouse which is well lit, has even, clean floors, good traffic flow and ample turning space.
Turret trucks
The design of a turret truck includes forks on the side which turn. The forks pivot 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load faces forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once it stops at the designated storage place, the truck's forks pivot to the storage side and raise the load to their full extension, and next easily deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks can come with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in really narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.