Approximately 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric forklift models. These units are powered by big, heavy lead-acid batteries which that prevents the equipment from tipping over since it acts as the counterweight.
Based on ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which includes all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Even though the first investment when buying an electric lift truck is more as opposed to an internal combustion or IC truck, electric lift trucks are much less costly to operate and run in the long-run. This is because of lower fuel and maintenance costs, than the internal combustion or IC models.
Within North America, most electric rider forklifts are made for moving materials indoors. Electric rider trucks are used most frequently in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric units are the best option for inside use due to their ability to make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
Furthermore, electric lift truck could normally work a complete 8 hour shift on one battery charge. Recharging, reloading and removing batteries, which generally weigh about 3000 pounds could be time consuming and difficult. This cumbersome task often requires a dedicated space for handling the battery. Then again, new fast charging technologies are now used to update this process and change the procedure to be able to accomplish it in a a lot quicker method.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has revolutionized electric unit lift trucks and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling business experts, state that these new developments within the battery charging systems and battery technology could cut charging time by as much as 50 percent!
IC Counterbalanced Forklifts
Internal combustion lift trucks rely on a variety of different types of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, CNG or compressed natural gas and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are commonly utilized outside. Usually, these models operate on diesel or gas and utilizes pneumatic or air-filled tires in order to make them suitable for rough environment and steep slopes, compared to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for smooth services and indoor use since they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG model is the most popular fuel choice for indoor trucks. These days, there are over 600,000 propane-filled forklifts working around the world. These units offer numerous benefits. Like for instance, lift trucks that run on propane fuel maintain 100 percent constant power during operation. Also, these models offer faster ground speeds than other power sources.