Martin Jones of Narrow Aisle runs through key innovative design features to look for when selecting an articulated forklift truck.
When a truck is articulated it doesn’t need the space that a reach or counterbalance truck would require to turn into a pallet position. This means that within any storage space, aisle widths can be reduced and more racking bays introduced.
These key characteristics of the articulated truck concept, which is an innovation in itself, have won many converts among 3PLs, retailers and manufacturers alike. However, its considerable success has not halted its development and there have been many recent innovative advances to enhance its capabilities. So, what are the important features to look for when it comes to buying an articulated forklift truck?
1. Being designed as a front wheel drive articulated forklift allows 220 degree Over-Rotation to be incorporated on all Flexi® models, with the 15VN achieving 230 degrees. This is one of the defining features of advanced articulated forklift design, delivering significant advantages by allowing the trucks to turn safely in an extremely tight environment, reducing the need for multiple corrective manoeuvres and giving the operator complete control of the load.
By being able to work in narrow aisles an articulated truck, like the Flexi®, allows logistics operations to increase pallet storage capacity by anything between 30 and 50 per cent.
2. A bespoke, curved chassis design, known as TrueRadius®, allows a Flexi to follow the exact curvature of the chassis during articulation, significantly reducing the risk of racking damage. This design eliminates the issue by maintaining a consistent profile throughout the turn. As a result, operators can concentrate fully on handling loads.
3. When operating in very narrow aisles and lifting up to 15,000 mm, it is vital to have complete control over the load. Exceptionally smooth and precise operation without the risk of hydraulic interference requires innovative hydraulic design. Flexi achieves this through being engineered with independent drive, lift, and steer motors.
4. Flexi is designed with a Twin-Post Hi-Vis Operator’s Overhead Guard, which ensures perfect upward visibility of the forks and the load when stacking. In addition, the truck has an advanced ‘Clear View’ Hi-Vis Mast, with mast brace sections designed not to impede eye-line and a sloped nose cone. A short chassis length, meanwhile, ensures the operator is as close to their load as possible.
5. An advantage of Flexi’s innovative design is that the battery can be removed simply and safely at low level from the rear using a hand pallet truck or another forklift. In addition, we have a Lithium-Ion option available to avoid the need for battery changing.
6. A front pivot axle design, as with the Flexi®, improves stability and ride comfort when operating on external surfaces, loading yards and uneven ground conditions. This essential feature provides operators with greater confidence and control.
Front wheel drive gives the operator complete control over the load and allows Over-Rotation of the articulated steer. This enables the operator to turn in an extremely tight environment and allows for an operator to correct any errors in their movements in the aisle. Flexi Narrow Aisle® is a pioneer of front wheel drive design that, combined with a true indoor/outdoor wheel and tyre configuration, is the perfect option for traction in all conditions. This capability eliminates the reliance on multiple trucks for different tasks, reducing operational complexity and improving overall efficiency, offering a true one truck, ‘Road-to-Rack™’ solution.
With the continual evolution and advancement of articulated trucks, such as with the Flexi® from Narrow Aisle, users have come to benefit from increased picking efficiency, extra storage space in the warehouse, a reduction in double handing and a slimmer truck fleet due to running just one truck that can load/unload vehicles and stack in narrow aisles – resulting in savings of up to 50% in operating costs.
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