Roughly 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric lift truck units. These units derive their power from heavy, big lead-acid batteries which 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 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which covers all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric forklifts. Though the initial investment when buying an electric lift truck is more compared to an internal combustion or IC lift truck, electric forklifts are much less expensive to run and operate in the long-run. This is due to lesser fuel and maintenance costs, compared to the internal combustion or IC models.
Within North America, the majority of electric rider lift trucks are made for transporting materials indoors. Electric rider lift trucks are utilized most commonly in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric units are the best option for inside use because they make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
The battery of an electric lift truck could run on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries that weigh upwards of 3000 pounds could be hard and time consuming. This cumbersome job normally requires a dedicated area for handling the battery. Nonetheless, new fast charging technologies are being used to update this process and change the procedure to be able to accomplish it in a a lot faster method.
This fast charging technology is considered to be enhanced charging technology. It has revolutionized electric model lift trucks and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The professionals of the material handling business, state that these new developments in the battery charging systems and battery technology can cut charging time by as much as 50 percent!
IC or Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Forklifts
Internal combustion forklifts depend on a range of different types of fuels, including LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are commonly utilized outdoors. Normally, these models are gas or diesel powered and utilizes air-filled or pneumatic tires so as to make them suitable for rough environment and steep inclines, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for indoor use and smooth services as they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG model is the most popular fuel option for indoor trucks. Nowadays, there are more than 600,000 propane-filled forklifts working all over the globe. These models offer various advantages. For example, propane-fueled forklifts maintain 100% consistent power during operation. Furthermore, these models offer faster ground speeds than other power sources.