Propane cylinders take up little space and they could be kept either inside of a storage area or outside of a facility. It does take some time to switch out a propane cylinder, although, it still does requires operator training in order to be conducted safely and also require knowledge of safety standards like for example the Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA.
IC trucks are easier and faster to refuel, compared to electric trucks, but the internal combustion or IC engines produce major air-polluting emissions and are extremely noisy.
NARROW-AISLE LIFT TRUCKS
The ITA's Class 2 trucks consist of a large variety of electric forklifts and these are specially made to be used in narrow aisles. The regular storage aisles are 12 feet wide, and this easily enables a counterbalanced lift truck to turn in the aisle and put a load away. Usually, narrow aisles are 8 feet wide, whereas the very narrow aisles are about 5.5 to 6 feet wide. These narrow aisles need specialized lift trucks that can put away cargo without any turning at all or that are small enough to turn on a tight radius.
The three most common narrow aisle forklifts are the order pickers, reach trucks and turret trucks. The differences amongst these forklifts are discussed below.
Narrow-Aisle Reach Forklifts
The traditional reach truck is the original narrow-aisle forklift and these machinery do not need a counterweight. They are also small enough to turn around in narrow aisles. Instead, stability is provided by the outrigger arms that extend in front of the trucks. Nonetheless, depending on the storage configuration, these outrigger arms can prevent the forklifts from getting near enough to the storage rack to deposit and retrieve loads. To be able to overcome this specific situation, a pantograph was designed. The pantograph is a reach truck which is made with a telescoping mechanism. This enables forks to easily and concisely reach into storage locations.
The best environment for narrow aisle forklifts is a place that has good lighting, clean floors and good traffic flow, well-maintained floor, along with sufficient turning space.
These machines have changed the material handling industry. Toyota stands behind their devotion to giving very strong machinery and exceptional quality. As the company changes, they continually strive to apply solutions in order to offer their diverse customer base with the best products available.