Forklift
The right forklift truck for your business depends entirely on your application. The list below provides a brief overview of where each of the different types of forklifts are frequently used:
Pallet truck
Hand pallet trucks or pump trucks are used to manually move pallets over short distances. They can be used inside or over level ground outside. They are the lowest cost option in moving palletized goods.
Electric pedestrian pallet truck
Electric pallet trucks are used in a similar way to hand pallet trucks but relieve any strain on the operator when moving pallets due to an electric motor powering lift and travel. For further operator comfort they are available in stand-on or sit-on models which are useful for warehouse work over longer distances or longer working shifts.
Electric pedestrian pallet stacker
Electric stacker trucks follow the same premise as electric pedestrian pallet trucks but have a mast that allows the forks to be raised in order to deposit or retrieve pallets at height. Depending on how heavy your load, how high you need to lift it and the ground surface youre working on these trucks may be an alternative to traditional sit-on forklift trucks.
Counterbalance forklift
Counterbalance forklift trucks are what most people think of when they hear the term fork lift. They have a counterweight within the rear of the truck to enable heavy loads to be lifted by the forks at the front. They are usually found in three drive types:
Electric forklift
Electric counterbalance trucks can be used outside but are often selected for shorter transport routes indoors.
Diesel forklift
Diesel counterbalance trucks follow the same premise as electric counterbalance trucks. They can be used indoors but are often selected for outside work and can also lift heavier loads than the electric option.
Gas forklift
Gas counterbalance trucks are an alternative to diesel counterbalance trucks. They perform the same function but are powered differently. The choice is often down to customer preference.
Reach truck
Reach trucks are electric trucks usually found in warehouses. They are known as narrow aisle trucks as they can operate in narrower aisles than counterbalances and can lift to higher heights. This warehouse specialist truck achieves this using reach mast technology - Jungheinrichs very own invention. The mast including the forks are pushed forward to grab the load outside the wheel arms. The mast can then be pulled back, so the load can be transported within the vehicles frame. This increases the trucks stability, reduces the necessity of counterbalance weight and consequently allows for a shorter chassis design.
Order picker
Order pickers are used mainly in warehouse operations. Individual items are picked by the operator and placed on a pallet on the forks in preparation to leave the warehouse.
Tow tractor
Tow tractors, like order pickers, are used to pick individual items by the operator. However they can pull roll cages or trailers to carry the picked goods and therefore do not have forks to support pallets.
VNA truck
Very narrow aisle (VNA) trucks are specialist warehouse trucks that are designed to travel forwards and backwards without the need to turn in the racking aisle. These trucks maximise warehouse space by allowing narrower aisles and higher racking through increased lift heights. They can be guided, can have rotating forks and are available in man-up models that are capable of stacking and retrieving pallets as well as enabling the picking of individual items from high up in the racks.
Click on the truck type you need below for more detailed information and specifications