High lift reach trucks help maximise floor space

WAREHOUSING AND distribution
companies are increasingly gravitating
towards high bay buildings in order to
achieve maximum utilisation of the
floor area available.
“We have the technology to go
higher,” says Eugene Steenhuisen of
Toyota Forklift, “and with the cost
of land, the time has come to use
it.” Traditionally warehouses were
built to the limits of the equipment,
which could only go to 9 metres. “The
handling equipment of choice has
become the high lift reach truck with
lift heights of up to 11.5 metres with
resulting heights of up to 13 metres
to the top of the load.”
Reach trucks offer greater
flexibility over the previously popular
VNA (Very Narrow Aisle) trucks
for working at height. “They can
handle varying load sizes and work
with conventional racking and aisle
layouts,” adds Steenhuisen.
“We have developed tilting cabs
where the entire driver’s cabin tilts
to one side so that the driver has
a better view of the task being
performed. This puts less strain on the
neck resulting in better productivity,”
says Steenhuisen. "Other tools for
working at height include height
indicators and height pre-select. “We
also have mounted fork cameras
to give the driver a view of the
pallet opening through an on-board
monitor.”
Compared to conventional low bay
options with forklift trucks, high lift
reach trucks place greater emphasis
on floor quality to ensure safety and
efficiency in the warehouse. “The
higher you operate, the flatter your
floor should be,” says Steenhuisen,
although a solid floor is essential to
all warehouse operations, regardless
of height. “Reach trucks don’t have any
suspension, especially with their hard
polyurethane wheels, so any and all
shock from poor floors is sent straight
to the electronic components in the
cab.
“Rather pay the extra money by
getting in a specialist flooring company
than trying to cut cost on the floor or
use an inexperienced contractor.”