When the time comes to select the right warehouse truck, it is a good idea to figure out how high you intend to lift your loads, how much you need to lift, how much space you need to work in and how far you want to travel. These considerations would influence your buying decision and help decipher which forklift truck is truly the best one out there to suit all your needs and meet your overall expectations.
Normal Aisles
Pedestrian stackers are the most economical as these machines are best used in normal width aisles and can complete ordinary warehouse stacking jobs. They are capable of easily lifting loads of less than 750kg and could stack them to heights of roughly 4.5 metres. One more model called rider stackers can successfully raise loads to around 6 metres.
Reach trucks are yet a different alternative to think about. They give you much greater load and lift capacities and several models come complete with telescopic forks. This characteristic allows you the ability to stack pallets two deep. For extra flexibility in handling goods, there is a multi-way and a 4-way reach truck which as the name implies, could be driven in four directions. These models are particularly suitable for handling long and large objects like piping, planks and boards.
Counterbalance trucks are best suitable for traveling longer distance and are a great alternative for stacking jobs, particularly block stacking. They are also a great option for stacking loads that weigh more than 2 tonnes and free stacking.
A Tight Squeeze
The aisle space in a high-density storage operation would typically be much narrower, while the heights can be somewhat higher also. The Man-up telescopic lift trucks are best used in narrow aisle, high-bay stores. They provide the driver or operator a good view of the stacking process. There are other models called man-up combi trucks. These are fairly versatile in that they can be used for both stacking and order-picking jobs. They could be used in narrow aisles or driven throughout the warehouse.