Industrial trucks are used to move materials over variable paths, with no restrictions on the area covered by the movement. The major types of industrial trucks are:
Industrial trucks:
Characteristics:
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Non-pallet + manual + no stack
Load tilted during travel
Three or more wheeled hand truck with a
flat platform in which, since it has no handles, the load is used
for pushing
Four or more wheeled hand truck with handles for pushing or
hitches for pulling
Sometimes referred to as a "cart" or "(manual) platform truck"
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Pallet + walk + no stack
Front wheels are mounted inside the end of the forks and extend to the floor as the pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel
Pallet restrictions: reversible pallets cannot be used, double-faced nonreversible pallets cannot have deckboards where the front wheels extend to the floor, and enables only two-way entry into a four-way notched-stringer pallet because the forks cannot be inserted into the notches
Pallet + walk + no stack + manual
Manual lifting and/or travel
Pallet + walk + no stack + powered
Powered lifting and/or travel
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Pallet + walk + stack
Pallet + walk + stack + manual
Manual lifting and/or travel (and straddle load support)
Pallet + walk + stack + powered
Powered lifting and/or travel (and either counterbalance or
straddle load support)
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Pallet + ride + no stack
Same pallet restrictions as a pallet jack
Control handle typically tilts to allow operator to walk during loading/unloading
Powered pallet jack is sometimes referred to as a "(walkie)
pallet truck"
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Non-pallet + powered + no stack
Platform used to provide support for nonpalletized loads
Used for skid handling; platform can lift skid several inches to allow it to clear the floor
Greater lifting capacity compared to fork trucks because the platform provides a greater lifting surface to support a load
Non-pallet + powered + no stack + walk
Operator walks next to truck
Floor hand truck is sometimes referred to as a "(manual)
platform truck"
Non-pallet + powered + no stack + ride
Operator can ride on truck
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Pallet + ride + stack
Also referred to as fork truck.
Weight of vehicle (and operator) behind the front wheels of truck counterbalances weight of the load (and weight of vehicle beyond front wheels); front wheels act as fulcrum or pivot point.
Rated capacity reduced for load centers greater than 24 in. and lift heights greater than 13 ft.
Workhorses of material handling because of their flexibility: indoor/outdoor operation over a variety of different surfaces; variety of load capacities available; and variety of attachments availablefork attachments can replace the forks (e.g., carton clamps) or enhance the capabilities of the forks (e.g., blades for slipsheets).
Operator sits down
12-13 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Operator stands up, giving vehicle narrow-aisle capability
9-11 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Faster loading/unloading time compared to NA straddle and reach trucks
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Similar to stand-up CB lift truck, except outrigger arms straddle a load and are used to support the load instead of the counterbalance of the truck
7-8 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Less expensive than stand-up CB lift truck and NA reach truck
Since the load is straddled during stacking, clearance between loads must be provided for the outrigger arms
Arm clearance typically provided through the use of load-on-beam
rack storage or single-wing pallets for load-on-floor storage
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Similar to both stand-up CB lift truck and NA straddle truck
8-10 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Load rests on the outrigger arms during transport, but a pantograph (scissors) mechanism is used for reaching, thereby eliminating the need to straddle the load during stacking
Reaching capability enables the use of shorter outrigger arms (arms > 1/2 load depth) as compared to NA straddle truck (arms = load depth)
Counterbalance of the truck used to support the load when it extends beyond the outrigger arms
Although the NA reach truck requires slightly wider aisles than a NA straddle truck since its outrigger arms do not enter a rack during storage, it does not require arm clearance between loads (arm clearance is still required when the truck must enter a storage lane when block stacking or drive-in or -through racks are used)
Extended reaching mechanisms are available to enable double-deep
storage
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Greater stacking height compared to other narrow-aisle trucks (40 ft. vs. 25 ft.), but greater investment cost
Forks rotate to allow for side loading and, since truck itself does not rotate during stacking, the body of the truck can be longer to increase its counterbalance capability and to allow the operator to sit
Can function like a sideloader for transporting greater-than-pallet-size load
Operator not lifted with the load
5-6 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Termed a swingmast truck (picture shown) when, instead
of just the forks, the entire mast rotates (thus can store on
only one side of a aisle while in aisle)
Operator lifted with the load to allow precise stacking and picking
5-7 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
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Similar to NA straddle truck, except operator lifted with the load to allow for less-than-unit-load picking
Typically has forks to allow the truck to be used for pallet stacking and to support a pallet during less-than-pallet-load picking
"Belly switch" used for operator safety during
picking
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Forks mounted perpendicular to direction of travel to allow for side loading and straddle load support
5-6 ft. minimum aisle width requirement
Can be used to handle greater-than-pallet-size loads (e.g.,
bar stock)
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Non-load-carrying tractor used to pull a train of trailers (i.e., dollies or floor hand trucks)
Extends the transporting capacity of floor hand trucks
Typically used at airports for baggage handling
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Non-load-carrying
vehicle used to transport personnel within a facility (e.g., golf
cart, bicycle, etc.)
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AGVs do not require an operator
Good for high labor cost, hazardous, or environmentally sensitive conditions (e.g., clean-room)
Also termed "automated" guided vehicle
AGVs good for low-to-medium volume medium-to-long distance random material flow operations (e.g., transport between work cells in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) environment)
Two means of guidance can be used for AGV systems:
Fixed path: Physical guidepath (e.g., wire, tape, paint) on the floor used for guidance
Free-ranging: No physical guidepath, thus easier to change vehicle path (in software), but absolute position estimates (from, e.g., lasers) are needed to correct dead-reckoning error
Used to pull a train of trailers
Automated version of a tractor trailer
Trailers usually loaded manually (early type of AGV, not much
used today)
Have decks that can be loaded manually or automatically
Deck can include conveyor or lift/lower mechanism for automatic loading
Typically 4 by 4 feet and can carry 12,000 lb. loads
Typically less than 10 vehicles in AGV system
Used as assembly platforms (e.g., car chassis, engines, appliances)
Greatest development activity during the 1980s (alternative to AEMs)
Typically 50100 vehicles in AGV system
Used for small loads (< 500 lbs), e.g., components, tools
Typically used in electronics assembly and office environments
(as mail and snack carriers)
Counterbalanced, narrow-aisle straddle, and sideloading versions available
Typically have sensors on forks (e.g., infrared sensors) for
pallet interfacing
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Last modified: September 30, 1999