Around 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric forklift units. These units get their power from heavy, big lead-acid batteries which which prevents the machine from tipping over since it acts as the counterweight.
Based on ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which includes all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Although the first investment when you buy an electric forklift is more compared to an IC or internal combustion lift truck, electric lift trucks are less costly to run and operate in the long-run. This is because of lesser maintenance and fuel expenses, in comparison to the IC units.
In North America, the majority of electric rider forklifts 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 best alternative for inside applications because they emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
The battery of an electric lift truck can operate on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The recharging, reloading and removing batteries that weigh upwards of 3000 pounds could be hard and time consuming. This burdensome job usually needs a dedicated area for handling the battery. However, new fast charging technologies are now used to change the procedure and update this process to be able to complete it in a much quicker method.
This fast charging technology is considered to be better charging technology. It has revolutionized electric model forklifts and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling business professionals, state that these new developments in the battery charging systems and battery technology could lessen charging time by as much as 50 percent!
IC Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
IC 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 larger forklifts are usually utilized outdoors. Normally, these models operate on gas or diesel and utilizes air-filled or pneumatic tires so as to make them suitable for rough terrain and steep slopes, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for indoor use and smooth services since they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG unit is the most common fuel choice for indoor trucks. These days, there are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts working all around the world. These units offer various benefits. Like for example, forklifts that run on propane fuel maintain 100 percent constant power during operation. In addition, these models provide faster ground speeds than other power sources.