How to Choose the Right Lift Truck

Not sure what type of lift truck you need to your operation? Here are some of the more popular vehicles and factors to take into consideration to ensure the right equipment is selected for your needs.

· Counterbalanced Rider Truck (Stand-Up or Sit Down)

This is a general-purpose truck with at load capacity of 2,500 to 12,000 lbs. Lifting heights range from 16 ft. to 18 ft. Its low mast height enables it to drive into trailers and containers. Use this truck for dock loading/unloading applications. Stand-Up vehicles enable the operator to get on/off quicker for ancillary operations such as checking and scanning bar code labels.

· High lift Straddle or Reach Type Outrigger (Stand-Up)

This is a specialty truck for Narrow-Aisle (NA) and Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) applications. Lifting heights are up to 40 ft. These trucks are available with two or three-stage masts which enable them to reach greater heights. They require flat concrete floors to perform at their best. (Rough floors will translate to premature wheel replacement costs). Narrow aisle (NA) trucks require a 10 ft. aisle to enable the vehicle to complete its turning radius. Very narrow aisle (VNA) equipment require a 6 ft. aisle, however this warehouse layout restricts one vehicle per aisle at any one time, causing bottleneck issues. It is imperative to ensure that the inventory stored in these aisles is slow-moving to avoid this issue. Use of these vehicles is primarily for putaway and replenishment warehouse operations.

· Low Lift Walkie Pallet

These vehicles can work anywhere in your facility as there are no height restrictions. The load capacity of these vehicles is from 4,000 to 8,000 lbs. These vehicles are used mostly for picking operations; however they may also be used for loading/unloading as well (less flexible than the Counterbalance Rider Truck as they are not able to lift more than a few inches). These vehicles come in two varieties, accommodating both single and double pallets. For long pick run operations, the double-pallet version will require fewer trips back to the dock, increasing productivity.

· Tractors / Tuggers

Tractors or Tuggers are normally used with four-wheel carts. A series (usually 2 or 3) carts are attached together and the Tugger transports goods over long distances throughout the warehouse. A Tugger/cart combination may be used to receive goods at the dock and transport them to another location within the warehouse. The advantage over the Lift Truck is the greater number of pallets may be transported in a single trip. Another application in which the Tugger may be used is for picking merchandise and then transporting the goods for placement on a conveyor belt. The increased pallet capacity of this method makes this truck a good choice, as it has the ability to tow up to 10,000 lbs.

· Order Picker Truck

Orderpicker trucks have a platform that lifts both the operator as and the pallet as it travels through aisles. This truck is used in a high-density storage medium (narrow aisle or very narrow aisle) environment as it allows picking from multiple-level pickfaces. Inventory of the items that are set up using this method are usually slow-moving items and have low quantities (half a pallet or less). As a safety precaution, operators are required to wear a safety harness when operating this vehicle.

Sources

align="justify">Introduction of Forklift
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forklift