Propane cylinders are designed to take up really little space and can be kept in an outdoor facility or inside the storage area. It does take some time to switch out a propane cylinder, though, it still does need knowledge of safety standards such as the Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA and also requires operator training in order to be performed safely.
IC lift trucks are easier and faster to refuel, than electric lift trucks, but the IC or internal combustion engines create major air-polluting emissions and are very noisy.
NARROW-AISLE FORKLIFTS
The Class 2 forklifts consists of numerous types of forklift that are specifically designed to be used in narrow aisles. The standard storage aisles are 12 feet wide, and this easily allows a counterbalanced forklift to turn in the aisle and put a load away. Typically, narrow aisles are 8 feet wide, while the very narrow aisles are approximately 5.5 to 6 feet wide. These narrow aisles need specialized lift trucks which can put away loads that are small enough to turn on a tight radius or without any turning at all.
The three most common narrow aisle forklifts are the turret trucks, order pickers and reach trucks. The differences amongst these trucks are discussed below.
Narrow-Aisle Reach Lift Trucks
The original narrow-aisle forklift is considered to be the traditional reach truck. These machinery do not need a large counterweight and are hence, small enough to turn in narrow aisles. Instead, stability is provided by the outrigger arms which extend in front of the forklifts. However, these outrigger arms can prevent the trucks from getting close enough to the storage rack to deposit and retrieve cargo, depending on the storage configuration. To be able to overcome this situation, a pantograph was designed. The pantograph is a reach truck that is made with a telescoping mechanism. This enables forks to easily and concisely reach into storage areas.
The ideal environment for a narrow-aisle lift truck is a place which has good lighting, is clean, and has good traffic flow, well-maintained floors, as well as an ample turning aisle.
These types of machinery have revolutionized the material handling business. Toyota stands behind their devotion to offering extremely strong machinery and excellent quality. As the company changes, they always strive to implement solutions so as to give their diverse customer base with the best available products.