Articulated trucks
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The good news is that a hybrid option has been developed which can work in narrow aisles and can also handle rough surfaces—the articulated truck.
This is a conventional counterbalanced fork-lift with an articulating joint between mast and chassis to allow tight turning circles. There aren't many manufacturers, but many large warehouse operators have gone down this route. The reason is simple: articulation to 9o° means these units can turn in aisles around 1.8m wide but can still lift pallets to over 9m. This capability puts articulated trucks in the 13o,000-plus range, and to maintain stability they're designed to be roughly twice the dead weight of traditional counterbalanced trucks.
Selection
So these are the common lifttrucks for warehouse use. The trick is to find the one that best suits your operation. You should take as much time over this as you would when selecting a new tractive unit because their suitability for the job will have a direct impact on the efficiency of your operation.
Still to come...
Part two of our guide to fork-lift trucks will be published in CM 19-25 August. It will cover:
• Very narrow aisle trucks and order pickers; • Safe driving tips: • Truck ergonomics; • Managing a fork-lift fleet successfully;
• Summary of key fork-lift types and features;
• Alternatives to the fork-lift.