Electric lift truck units make up almost 60 percent of the lift truck market. These units get their power from huge, heavy lead-acid batteries which that prevents the machine from tipping over because it acts as the counterweight.
Based on ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 forklifts. Class 1 is the category which covers all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Although the first investment when purchasing an electric forklift is more than an internal combustion or IC truck, electric trucks are a lot less costly to operate and run in the long-run. This is due to lesser maintenance and fuel costs, than the internal combustion units.
Within North America, the majority of electric rider lift trucks are designed for moving materials indoors. Electric rider lift trucks are utilized most frequently in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric units are the right option for inside use as they emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
What's more, electric forklift can normally operate a complete 8 hour shift on a single battery charge. Reloading, recharging and removing batteries, that roughly weigh about 3000 pounds could be time consuming and difficult. This cumbersome task usually requires a dedicated space for battery handling. Then again, new fast charging technologies are now used to change the procedure and update this process to be able to accomplish it in a much quicker way.
This fast charging technology is considered to be enhanced charging technology. It has changed electric model forklifts and the charging time of their batteries. The professionals of the material handling industry, state that these new changes in the battery technology and battery charging systems can cut charging time by up to 50 percent!
Internal Combustion or IC Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
IC lift trucks depend on a variety of different types of fuels, such as liquid propane gas or LPG, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The larger lift trucks are usually used outside. Usually, these units are diesel or gas powered and uses pneumatic or air-filled tires so as to make them suitable for steep slopes and rough environment, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for smooth services and indoor use because they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG unit is the most common fuel option for indoor trucks. These days, there are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts working all over the globe. These models offer a wide variety of advantages. Like for instance, propane-fueled lift trucks maintain 100% consistent power during operation. Additionally, these models provide faster ground speeds compared to other power sources.