It is important to figure out what kind of needs you need before selecting the warehouse truck. Consider things such as how high you plan to lift your cargo, how much you have to lift, how much space you have to work in and how far you want to travel. These factors would truly affect your purchasing decision and help decipher which type of forklift truck is the ideal one out there to meet your needs and meet your overall expectations.
Normal Aisles
The most cost-effective trucks are pedestrian stackers. These machines are ideal for working in standard width aisles and completing regular stacking jobs in a warehouse. They could easily lift loads of less than 750kg and be able to stack them to heights of about 4.5 metres. Another kind called rider stackers could successfully raise loads to around 6 metres.
Reach trucks are yet another 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 added flexibility in handling goods, there is a multi-way and a 4-way reach truck which as the name implies, can be driven in four directions. These models are specifically great for handling bulky and long things such as piping, planks and boards.
The counterbalance line of trucks is best for traveling longer distances. They are a good option for stacking jobs, especially block stacking. They are also an ideal choice for free stacking and stacking loads which weigh over 2 tonnes.
A Tight Squeeze
If you are working in a high-density storage operation, the aisle space would typically be a lot narrower and the heights you would want to reach to will potentially be much higher. Man-up telescopic lift trucks function great in narrow aisle, high-bay stores. They offer the driver or operator a good view of the stacking process. There are other types called man-up combi trucks. These are fairly versatile in that they can be utilized for both stacking and order-picking tasks. They can be utilized in narrow aisles or driven all around the warehouse.