Around 60 percent of the lift truck market is made up by electric forklift models. These models are powered by heavy, large lead-acid batteries which give the machinery it's counterweight in order to avoid it from tipping over.
According to the ITA, electric counterbalanced forklifts are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which covers all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric lift trucks. Though the initial investment when you buy an electric lift truck is more compared to an internal combustion or IC lift truck, electric forklifts are much less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is because of lesser fuel and maintenance expenses, than the internal combustion units.
Within North America, most electric rider lift trucks are made for transporting materials indoors. Electric rider lift trucks are used most commonly in retail spaces, and warehousing applications. The electric models are the best choice for inside applications because of their ability to emit zero toxic emissions and make less noise.
The battery of an electric lift truck can operate on average for 8 hours or for a single shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries which weigh upwards of 3000 pounds can be hard and time consuming. This burdensome job usually needs a dedicated area for battery handling. However, new fast charging technologies are being utilized to update this method and change the procedure to be able to accomplish it in a a lot quicker way.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has changed electric model lift trucks and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The experts of the material handling industry, state that these new changes in the battery technology and battery charging systems can lessen charging time by up to 50 percent!
Internal Combustion or IC Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
The internal combustion powered lift truck would depend on types of fuels, such as LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, compressed natural gas or CNG and gasoline. The bigger lift trucks are commonly used outdoors. Usually, these models are diesel or gas powered and uses air-filled or pneumatic tires so as to make them appropriate for rough environment and steep slopes, compared to cushion tires. Cushion tires are better suited for indoor applications and smooth services because they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG model is the most common fuel choice for indoor trucks. Nowadays, there are over 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks working all over the world. These units provide a huge variety of benefits. Like for example, forklifts that run on propane fuel maintain 100 percent consistent power during operation. In addition, these models offer faster ground speeds than other power sources.