Electric lift truck models make up nearly 60 percent of the lift truck market. These units are powered by big, heavy lead-acid batteries that give the machine it's counterweight so as to prevent it from tipping over.
According to the ITA, electric counterbalanced lift trucks are considered Class 1 forklifts. Class 1 is the category that includes all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Even if the first investment when you buy an electric lift truck is more compared to an internal combustion or IC forklift, electric forklifts are a lot less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is because of lesser maintenance and fuel costs, compared to the internal combustion or IC units.
Most of the electric rider forklift trucks shipped in North America is designed for moving material inside. They are usually utilized in retail spaces, and warehousing applications. The electric units are the right alternative for inside use because of their ability to make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
In addition, electric forklift can normally run a complete 8 hour shift on one battery charge. Reloading, recharging and removing batteries, that roughly weigh around 3000 lbs. could be time consuming and difficult. This burdensome job usually needs a dedicated space for battery handling. Nevertheless, 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 changed electric unit forklifts and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling industry experts, state that these new changes in the battery technology and battery charging systems could lessen charging time by up to 50%!
IC or Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
Internal combustion lift trucks depend on a variety of different types of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The larger forklifts are usually used outside. Generally, these units operate on diesel or gas and uses air-filled or pneumatic tires so as to make them suitable for rough environment and steep slopes, compared to cushion tires. Cushion tires are better suited for indoor use and smooth services since they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG unit is the most common fuel option for indoor trucks. Nowadays, there are over 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks operating all over the globe. These models offer a huge range of benefits. For example, forklifts that run on propane fuel maintain 100% constant power during operation. In addition, these units provide faster ground speeds as opposed to other power sources.