THE "WORKHORSE" OF MATERIAL HANDLING IS THE COUNTERBALANCED LIFT
TRUCK.
THE "WORKHORSE" OF MATERIAL HANDLING IS THE COUNTERBALANCED LIFT TRUCK.
It is solely used for open areas and normal aisles (10-13 ft.). As with most of the industrial
trucks, counterbalanced lift trucks can be either battery powered (BP) or powered by an internal combustion engine
(ICE); the latter can use either gasoline, propane, or diesel fuel. The tires used on the truck can
be either cushion (CT) for indoor operation or pneumatic (PT) for outdoor operation. The load-carrying capability
of the counterbalanced lift truck can range from 1000 to over 100,000 lb.
As the name implies, counterbalance lift trucks employ a heavy counter balance over the rear
wheels to achieve lift weight capacities of up to 100,000 lbs. and lift height capacities between 25 and 30 ft.
As selective pallet rack is the benchmark pallet storage mode, the counterbalance lift truck may be considered
the benchmark storage/retrieval vehicle. When it is desirable to use the same vehicle for loading and unloading
trucks and storing and retrieving loads, the counterbalance truck is the logical choice. For use in block
stacking, drive-in and drive-thru rack and pallet storage frames, the operating aisles normally provided are suitable
for counterbalanced trucks. Since counterbalance trucks must turn within a storage aisle to retrieve a pallet
load, the aisle width required (10-13 ft.) to operate is wider than required for some other lift truck alternatives.
The relatively low cost and flexibility of counterbalance trucks are their main advantage.
BE SURE TO VISIT THE HOME PAGE FOR INFORMATION ON LIFT TRUCKS REPAIR, SERVICE, TROUBLESHOOTING,
AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FORKLIFTS AND THEIR USE.