Roughly 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric forklift units. These units are powered by heavy, big lead-acid batteries that that prevents the machine from tipping over because it acts as the counterweight.
The ITA states that electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 forklifts. The category of Class1 also encompasses stand-up counterbalanced lift trucks in addition to other electric trucks that are designed for general application. Though the first investment when purchasing an electric lift truck is more than an internal combustion or IC forklift, electric trucks are a lot less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is due to lower fuel and maintenance costs, compared to the internal combustion or IC units.
Within North America, the majority of electric rider lift trucks are made for transporting materials indoors. Electric rider lift trucks are utilized most frequently in retail spaces, and warehousing applications. The electric units are the best alternative for inside applications since they emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
Furthermore, electric forklift can generally work a complete 8 hour shift on a single battery charge. Recharging, reloading and removing batteries, which roughly weigh approximately 3000 lbs. could be time consuming and difficult. This burdensome task normally needs a dedicated space for battery handling. Nonetheless, new fast charging technologies are being utilized to change the procedure and update this process to be able to complete it in a much faster method.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has revolutionized electric unit lift trucks and the charging time of their batteries. The material handling business professionals, state that these new changes in the battery technology and battery charging systems can lessen charging time by as much as 50%!
Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Forklifts
The IC powered lift truck will rely on kinds of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, CNG or compressed natural gas and gasoline. The larger forklifts are normally utilized outdoors. Normally, these units are diesel or gas powered and uses air-filled or pneumatic tires so as to make them appropriate for steep inclines and rough environment, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for indoor use and smooth services since they are made from solid rubber.
The most common fuel choice for indoor trucks is LPG. There are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts nowadays that are operating in DCs and in warehouses. These models offer a wide range of benefits. Like for instance, propane-fueled lift trucks maintain 100% consistent power during operation. Moreover, these models offer faster ground speeds than other power sources.