Roughly 60 percent of the forklift market is made up by electric forklift units. These units derive their power from huge, heavy lead-acid batteries which give the machinery it's counterweight in order to prevent it from tipping over.
The ITA states that electric counterbalanced trucks are considered Class 1 lift trucks. The category of Class1 also encompasses stand-up counterbalanced lift trucks in addition to other electric trucks which are made for general use. Though the first investment when you purchase an electric forklift is more compared to an internal combustion or IC truck, electric forklifts are less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is due to lower fuel and maintenance costs, compared to the IC models.
Most of the electric rider lift trucks shipped in North America is made for transporting material inside. They are commonly used in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric models are the right choice for inside applications since they make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
The battery of an electric forklift can operate on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries that weigh upwards of 3000 pounds could be hard and time consuming. This burdensome task normally needs a dedicated space for handling the battery. Then again, new fast charging technologies are now utilized to change the procedure and update this process to be able to accomplish it in a a lot faster method.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has changed electric model forklifts and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling business experts, state that these new developments in the battery technology and battery charging systems could cut charging time by as much as 50 percent!
IC or Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
IC forklifts depend on a variety of different kinds of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The larger lift trucks are commonly used outside. Normally, these models operate on gas or diesel and utilizes air-filled or pneumatic tires in order to make them suitable for rough environment and steep slopes, compared to cushion tires. Cushion tires are better suited for smooth services and indoor applications because they are made from solid rubber.
The most common fuel choice for indoor trucks is LPG. There are over 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks nowadays which are operating within DCs and in warehouses. These models provide numerous advantages. For example, lift trucks that run on propane fuel maintain 100 percent consistent power during operation. In addition, these units provide faster ground speeds than other power sources.