Electric forklift units make up nearly 60 percent of the forklift market. These units are powered by big, heavy lead-acid batteries that that prevents the machinery from tipping over as it acts as the counterweight.
Based on ITA, electric counterbalanced lift trucks are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which includes all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric forklifts. Though the first investment when buying an electric lift truck is more than an IC or internal combustion forklift, electric trucks are a lot less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is due to lower fuel and maintenance expenses, than the internal combustion models.
In North America, most electric rider forklifts are designed for moving materials indoors. Electric rider lift trucks are utilized most commonly in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric models are the right choice for inside applications as they make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
The battery of an electric forklift can run on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The recharging, reloading and removing batteries which weigh upwards of 3000 pounds can be hard and time consuming. This burdensome job usually needs a dedicated space for handling the battery. However, new fast charging technologies are being utilized to change the procedure and update this method to be able to complete it in a a lot quicker way.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has revolutionized electric unit lift trucks and the charging time of their batteries. The experts of the material handling industry, state that these new developments within the battery technology and battery charging systems could cut charging time by as much as 50%!
Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Internal combustion lift trucks depend on a range of different kinds of fuels, like liquid propane gas or LPG, diesel, CNG or compressed natural gas and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are commonly used outdoors. Normally, these units operate on diesel or gas and uses air-filled or pneumatic tires in order to make them appropriate for steep slopes and rough environment, compared to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for smooth services and indoor use as they are made from solid rubber.
The most popular fuel option for indoor trucks is LPG. There are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts today which are operating in DCs and in warehouses. These units provide various benefits. Like for example, lift trucks which operate on propane fuel maintain 100% constant power during operation. Furthermore, these units offer faster ground speeds as opposed to other power sources.