Types of Forklifts

Aisle Types: Aisle types are classified by the types of aisles they are designed to operate in. Wide Aisle and Narrow Aisle trucks are designed to turn in the aisle while Very Narrow Aisle trucks do not turn with the aisle.

Wide Aisle: Standard forklifts fall into this category of trucks designed to work in aisles greater than 11’ wide.

Narrow Aisle: Narrow aisle trucks operate in aisles of 8’ to 10’ and are generally stand up vehicles such as Reach Trucks.

Very Narrow Aisle: Very narrow aisle trucks operate in aisles less than 6’ and often use guidance systems (wire, rail, or optical) to travel within the aisles. Types of very narrow aisles trucks are Oder Selectors, Swing Mast, and Turret Trucks.

Truck Types:

Standard forklift: The standard forklift which is also known as a counterbalanced sit-down lift truck, is the vehicle most people think of when they think Lift truck and Forklift. It is available with any of the fuel types and tires types as well as numerous weight capacities, lift heights and attachment options.

The smaller 3000 lb to 4000 lb trucks are the workhorses of most warehouses. If you are running a small operation and will only have one truck, this is probably the vehicle for you. The standard forklift is a wide aisle truck which requires at least 11’ aisles to turn in. The aisle width is determined by the size of the truck, the turn radius, and the size of the load. Available options and attachments include side shifts, hydraulic clamps, and slip sheet attachments, to name a few. The side shift is becoming standard equipment on many trucks. The standard forklift is usually used for lift heights under 20 feet.

Reach truck: The reach truck is also known as a Stand-up reach. The reach truck is a narrow aisle (8’-10’) truck designed specifically for racked pallet storage. It consists of outriggers in front and telescoping forks that use a hydraulic scissors-type mechanism that allows you to pick up the load and retract it over the outriggers. This reduces the overall truck and load length, allowing you to turn in a narrower aisle. Reach truck are designed for racking areas only and do not work for loading trucks or quickly moving loads over distances. Operator training on reach trucks tends to take longer than on other vehicles due to the complexity of the controls.

Motorized pallet truck: Motorized pallet trucks are the motorized version of the pallet jack. They come in “Walkie”“Rider” versions. The walkie is designed for the operator to walk along with the truck as it moves loads, while the rider has a small platform which the operator stands on. The riders work great for frequent moving of loads over extended distances within warehouses and manufacturing operations as they are fast and highly maneuverable. The learning curve for riders is short due to minimal controls although precision turning takes a little practice. Since there isn’t an operator cage, there are some safety concerns with these and aren’t recommended for transporting tall unstable loads. versions or

Order Selector: The order selector is also known as an Order picker and is designed specifically for manual handling of less-than-pallet-load quantities in racking. Man-up design has fixed forks attached to a platform which elevates the load and the operator to facilitate manual loading and unloading from racking. Order Selectors are very narrow aisle vehicles which operate in aisles of less than 6’. Order selectors are very useful in physical inventories.