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Truck Types
Standard forklift. The standard forklift, also known as
a counterbalanced sit-down lift truck, is the vehicle
most people think of when they think Lift truck or
Forklift. It is available with any of the fuel types and
tire 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, fork shifts,
hydraulic clamps, and slip sheet attachments, to name a
few. The side shift is becoming standard equipment on
many trucks.
Reach tuck. a.k.a. Stand-up reach, Straddle reach ,
Double-deep 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. Double-deep reach trucks use an extended
reach mechanism which allows you to store pallets two
deep in specially designed double-deep rack. Reach
trucks 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. a.k.a. Walkie, Walkie-rider,
Rider.. Motorized pallet trucks are the motorized
version of the pallet jack. They come in "Walkie"
versions or "Rider" versions. As you would expect the
walkie is designed for the operator to walk along with
the truck as they move 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. They are fast and highly maneuverable.
Minimal controls result in short learning curves for
operators although precision turning takes a little
practice.
Order selector a.k.a. Order picker. 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 aisles vehicles which operate in aisles of
less than 6'.
Order selectors are available in lift heights up to 40
feet however 20 to 30 foot models are more common.
Attachments / Options
There is an enormous variety of attachments and options
available for lift trucks. While most attachments are
designed for use on standard lift trucks.
Sideshift. This is the most common attachment and should
be considered standard equipment. The sideshift device
allows the fork carriage to slide left and right to
allow more accurate placement of the load. Sideshifts
will increase productivity and safety as well as reduce
product damage by allowing the operator more flexibility
in load placement.
Fork positioner. Fork Positioners allow the operator to
adjust the distance between the forks without getting
off of the truck. Used primarily in high volume
operations where there is a great variety of pallet and
crate sizes handled.
Slip sheet atachment. Slip sheet attachments are used
where slip sheets (a sheet of cardboard, paperboard, or
plastic) are used rather than pallets. The slip sheet
attachments has a push/pull mechanism that clamps onto
the slip sheet and pulls the load onto a thin platform
and then pushes the load off of the platform when the
truck reaches the destination.
Paper roll clamp. Designed specifically for the handling
of large paper rolls, the paper roll clamp clamps around
the roll and also allows for a full 360 degree rotation.
Carton clamp. Operates like the paper roll clamp except
the clamping surface is flat rather than circular.
Drum handling attachments. There are a lot of different
designs for attachment used to handle 55 gallon drums.
Some are smaller versions of a paper roll clamp while
others may engage the upper rim of the drum, or the
lower rings. Some drum attachments are capable of
picking up multiple drums at the same time.
Prongs. A Prong is a specialized rod type attachment
used for picking up rolls of materials such as carpet
rolls, wire and cable spools, and rolled steel, by
inserting the prong into the center of the spool.
Fork extensions. Fork extensions slide over the existing
forks on the truck to allow you to pick up longer loads.
Fuel Types
Electric. Electric vehicles are designed for indoor use
only. Their big advantages are the absence of fumes and
their quiet operation. If you only intend to use your
vehicles indoors, this is the way to go. In multi-shift
operations you will need additional batteries and
charging/transfer stations. In single shift operations,
or, if the truck is not used 100% of the time, you can
charge it during off hours. Note that the batteries and
chargers for lift trucks are usually priced separately
from the lift truck itself.
LP Liquid Propane. Advantages of using LP include
minimal fumes (however heavy use indoors requires
adequate ventilation), the ability to use both indoors
and outdoors, and the ability to quickly change LP
tanks. Commonly used in indoor/outdoor operations such
as lumber yards.
Gasoline or Diesel. Outdoor use only. Heavily used in
construction, scrap yards, etc.
Tire Types
Cushion Tires are solid tires generally with no tread
pattern (though tread patterns are available) designed
for use indoors on smooth solid surfaces.
Pneumatic tires require air and are designed for use
outdoors on uneven and loose surfaces. Pneumatic tire
trucks will also have higher ground clearance which
raises the center of gravity thus reducing its rated
lift capacity.
Lift Capacity and Lift Height
You will need to know the maximum weight and dimensions
of the loads you will be handling as well as the maximum
fork height needed to stack or rack the loads in order
to determine the capacity of the vehicle needed. The
lift capacity of a truck is affected by lift height and
load size. A larger size load moves the center of
gravity of the vehicle/load combination reducing the
lift capacity as does the height the load is being
lifted. Attachments also affect the capacity of a truck.
Mast Options
Single, double, triple, quad (reflects the number of
sections or stages the mast has) these are the types of
masts available . In many circumstances you will not
need to make a choice here since the lift height will
dictate the type of mast you will get, however, in
trucks with very high lift heights you may have an
option. Going to a quad mast instead of a triple, rated
at the same height, will give you a shorter mast in the
lowered position, eliminating overhead clearance issues.
Aisle Types
Lift trucks 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 within the aisle. Read
my article on Aisle Widths for more info.
Wide Aisle. Standard forklifts fall into this category
of trucks designed to work in aisles greater than 11'
wide.
Narrow Aisle (NA). Narrow aisle trucks operate in aisles
of 8' to 10' and are generally stand up vehicles such as
Reach Trucks.
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