Reach truck, VNA or articulated forklift: lifting in narrow aisles

What is a reach truck, and when does a narrow aisle truck pay for itself?

A counterbalance forklift carries the load in front of its front wheels and balances it with weight at the back. That is why it needs room: to put a pallet into racking it has to turn square to the beam, and with a 1200 mm pallet on the forks most 2 to 3.5 t machines want something like 3.5 to 4 m of clear aisle.

A reach truck works differently. The mast, or the fork carriage, travels forward on its own to place the pallet, so the body of the truck never turns into the aisle. Narrow aisle trucks take that further: a three way turret truck swivels the forks rather than the truck, and a four way truck steers all its wheels through 360 degrees and drives sideways. Aisles of roughly 1.6 to 2.5 m then become workable.

The argument is floor space. Six aisles, each 40 m long, taken from 3.6 m down to 2.4 m free about 1.2 m by 40 m six times over, roughly 288 square metres put back into racking rather than into turning circles. If your aisles are already wide and space is not tight, an electric counterbalance forklift from £3,370 ex VAT is the cheaper and simpler answer.

Reach truck, VNA turret truck or articulated forklift: the comparison

Read the aisle figures as a starting point for your own measurement. Every truck has a published turning radius and a right angle stack figure for a given pallet, and that is the number your layout has to satisfy.

The pattern is simple: moving from a counterbalance to a narrow aisle truck roughly trebles the machine cost and halves the aisle. Going high costs more again, because a mast working at 12 m needs a heavier frame, tighter tolerances and usually guidance in the aisle.

Measure the aisle and the top beam before you commit

Three measurements decide whether a truck fits, all taken in the building rather than off a drawing.

• Clear aisle width. Measure between the faces of the loaded pallets, not between the racking uprights. A 1000 mm deep pallet on a 900 mm beam overhangs about 50 mm each side, and that overhang is what the truck must clear.
• Top beam height, loaded. Beam height plus your tallest load plus 150 to 200 mm to lift clear of the beam. Then look up: roof steels, sprinkler heads and lighting all sit lower than the roof itself.
• Collapsed mast height. The mast has to pass under your lowest shutter with the forks down, and fit the vehicle it travels on.

Then check residual capacity. A truck rated 2 t does not lift 2 t at every height: capacity drops as the mast extends, and drops again with an off centre load or an attachment. Work out the heaviest pallet going on your top beam and ask for the residual capacity at that height in writing.

Long loads, sideways travel and the four way reach truck

If your problem is length rather than height, look at a four way truck. The four way electric reach truck from £9,830 ex VAT steers all wheels through 360 degrees, carries 2 to 5 t and takes forks from 1070 mm up to 1800 mm. Loaded with 6 m timber, tube or board it turns the load to travel lengthways down the aisle instead of across it, which removes the wide cross aisle a counterbalance needs to swing long goods.

Where one machine has to cover both ends of the operation, the narrow aisle articulated forklift from £15,040 ex VAT pivots at the front to stack in a 1.6 to 2 m aisle, then drives out and unloads a curtainsider in the yard. Two trucks become one, with one battery to charge.

For picking cases rather than pallets at height, the man up three way VNA truck from £8,360 ex VAT lifts the operator with the forks to hand pick from the top beams. That brings guard rails, a harness point and a shorter thorough examination interval with it.

Floors, batteries and guidance in the aisle

Narrow aisle work is harder on the building than on the truck. A mast at 8 or 12 m turns every dip in the slab into sway at the forks, so high level trucks are designed for a superflat floor, on the FM2 tolerances in TR34. Joints, patches and a fall to a drain mid aisle are cheaper to find before you buy.

Battery choice follows the shift pattern. Lead-acid, as on the VNA and four way trucks here, is cheaper to buy and suits single shift work with an overnight charge, but it wants a ventilated charging area. Lithium-ion, as on the articulated truck and the counterbalance, takes a top up during breaks and needs no charging room, which matters when floor space was the reason you went narrow aisle.

In aisles under about 1.9 m most operators add guidance, either rails bolted to the rack feet or a wire in the floor slot. It protects the racking and lets the driver run at sensible speed. Decide before the racking goes in, because rails change the effective aisle width.

What to check before you buy a reach truck

Run through this with your layout in front of you.

1. Clear aisle width at the loaded pallet face, alongside the truck's right angle stack figure for your pallet size.
2. Residual capacity at your top beam height, in writing, for the heaviest pallet you store.
3. Fork length against pallet entry: 1070 mm for a standard 1200 mm pallet, 1800 mm for double depth and long loads.
4. Collapsed mast height against your lowest shutter and the delivery vehicle.
5. Battery type, charger supply and where the charging point goes.
6. Tyres against your floor: smooth concrete, joints, any outside running.
7. Guidance, rails or wire, and whether the racking layout allows for it.
8. Operator training. Under HSE L117 training is specific to the truck type, so a counterbalance ticket does not cover a reach truck or a man up truck.
9. Thorough examination under LOLER 1998, normally every 12 months for a lift truck and every 6 months where it lifts a person, plus PUWER 1998 inspection and maintenance.
10. Price, freight, duty, VAT and lead time are confirmed on your written quote, valid 30 days. Trucks are built to order at our partner factories and inspected before dispatch, with photos and video sent to you.

Lifting under 3 m and moving a few pallets a day is less than a narrow aisle truck is for. Compare a pallet stacker first, then the full forklift range once you know your aisle and your height.