When the time comes to pick the suitable warehouse truck, it is a good idea to figure out how high you plan to lift your loads, how much you need to lift, how much space you have to work in and how far you would like to travel. These considerations will really affect your buying decision and help decipher which type of forklift truck is the best one out there to meet all your needs and meet your overall expectations.
Normal Aisles
Pedestrian stackers are the most inexpensive as these machines are best used in standard width aisles and could complete ordinary warehouse stacking tasks. They are capable of easily raising cargo of less than 750kg and could stack them to heights of approximately 4.5 metres. A different type called rider stackers could successfully lift cargo to around 6 metres.
Reach trucks are yet a different alternative to consider. They give you much greater load and lift capacities and some models come complete with telescopic forks. This characteristic enables you the ability of stacking pallets two deep. For extra flexibility in goods handling, there is a 4-way and a multi-way reach truck which as the name implies, can be driven in four directions. These models are particularly great for handling bulky and long things such as boards, piping and planks.
The counterbalance line of trucks is suitable for traveling longer distances. They are a great option for stacking jobs, specially block stacking. They are also a great option for stacking cargo that weigh more than 2 tonnes and free stacking.
A Tight Squeeze
If you are working in a high-density storage operation, the aisle space would typically be much narrower and the heights you will want to reach to will possibly be much higher. Man-up telescopic lift trucks work well in high-bay, narrow aisle stores. They provide the operator or driver a good view of the stacking process. There are other kinds called man-up combi trucks. These are quite versatile in that they could be utilized for both stacking and order-picking tasks. They could be driven throughout the warehouse or utilized in narrow aisles.