Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
The kind of electric truck that is made to operate in narrow aisles is called a Narrow Aisle Lift Truck. Standard storage aisles are just 3.6 meters wide, adequate space for a counterbalanced lift truck to pivot within the aisle. On the other hand, narrow aisles can be about 2.4 meters wide to as little as 1.8 meters. The narrow space requires specialized lift truck models that are small, capable of tight turns, and able to put away loads without turning. The common kinds of narrow-aisle trucks are turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks
Reach trucks were the first narrow-aisle lift truck to be manufactured for warehouse applications. These small trucks can turn easily in narrow aisles as their design has eliminated the need for a large counterweight. Instead, stability is provided by outrigger arms extending in front of the truck. The downside of this design is that the outrigger arms can hinder access to the storage rack as the truck cannot get near enough. These trucks really work well inside a warehouse that is well lit, has clean, even floors, enough space for turning and good flow of traffic.
Turret trucks
The turret truck design consists of forks on the side which turn. The forks turn 90 degrees and move from side to side. The load can face forward while the operator drives down the aisle. Once stopped at the designated storage location, the truck's forks pivot to the storage side and lift the load to their full extension, and then smoothly deposit the load before resuming their original position. Turret trucks are available with a wire guidance system which keeps the truck on its path in very narrow aisles. Operators remain at floor level in man-down trucks.