Reach Truck

The reach truck is a loading device that is used by a number of different types of businesses that maintain a storage area that involves the arrangement of supplies and finished goods on pallets that are inserted into tall shelving structures. It is also a narrow aisle (8'-10') truck designed specifically for racked pallet storage. The reach truck provides safe and easy retrieval of the loaded pallets, as well as efficiently storing pallets of goods that are not required for immediate use. Using a reach truck to store supplies, pallets of finished goods, and in general to keep the storage area in order is a common practice. It also consists of outriggers in front and telescoping forks that use a hydraulic scissors type mechanism that allow you to pick up the load and retract it over the outriggers reducing the overall truck and load length allowing you to turn in a narrower aisle. Reach trucks are driven electrically with AC technology. Double-deep versions use an extended reach mechanism that allows for storing pallets two deep in specially designed double-deep rack. Two pallets deep will save about 50 percent of the aisle space. Double deep reach trucks are also known as stand up reach, straddle reach, and double-deep reach. Reach trucks is easy to operate, the reach truck can help make better use of both time and available storage space.

Here is a description (characteristic) of the basic reach truck, as well as examples of the three main types of reach trucks.

Characteristic:
The basic reach truck has an outrigging mechanism on the front of the truck. Mounted to the outrigging is a set of telescoping forks that move up and down. The forks also include a hydraulic setup that allows the operator to pick up the load and reposition it over the outriggers. This not only provides a more even balance of the load, but also makes it easier to maneuver the reach truck into narrow aisles between the storage shelves.

When the reach truck arrives at the shelves designated for the pallet, the hydraulics allow the forks to swing and lower the pallet into the shelving, sliding the pallet into place. Generally, a reach truck will easily fit into an aisle that is less than ten feet across with no problem, assuming there are not pallets sticking out from the shelving.

Three different examples of reach trucks:

Reach truck
There are several models of the reach truck. The stand-up reach model is the most simple. Essentially, this basic reach truck will slide the forks under the pallet, transport it to the desired storage location, and slide it into place. For shelving units that are no deeper than required to place one pallet of goods, this type of reach truck is ideal.

The second variation is the Straddle reaches. Essentially a mode of reach truck that can not only slide under the pallet, but also grab the sides as well, the straddle reach model works well when grasping the sides of the pallet and goods will not result in damage. These can be helpful when the shelving units are accessible for more than one direction, allowing the easy retrieval of a pallet that may be third or fourth in the line.

Has a lifting capacity from 1000kg - 3500kg with a maximum lifting height of 8M. Able to work in aisles as narrow as 2.7m.

Double-deep reach truck
The double-deep reach truck is the third variation of reach truck. It performs in the same basic manner as the stand-up type, but has telescopic forks that are long enough to slide a pallet into place when the shelves are deep enough to accommodate two pallets of goods. Because the double-deep reach truck can easily place the pallet at the back of the shelving unit, there is no need to push the pallet back when there is another pallet to go into the same shelving section.

Video on reach truck

Warehouses often make use of one or more types of the reach truck, as well as the supply areas for many textile firms and manufacturing facilities. Using a reach truck to store supplies, pallets of finished goods, and in general to keep the storage area in order is a common practice. As a device that is easy to operate, the reach truck can help make better use of both time and available storage space.

The reach trucks has an advantage that during horizontal movement, the load is carried within the area enclosed by the truck wheels and this allows a shorter overall length than the CBFLT and eliminates the need for a counter-balance weight.

However the down side of the reach truck is ergonomic factor of the reach truck. Especially for the 30 feet reach truck as it becomes very difficult to place loads at that height and puts a lot of strain on the operator's neck and eyes.30 feet as it becomes very difficult to place loads at that height and puts a lot of strain on the operator's neck and eyes.

Operator have to lift the head very often to see where is the load to pick (as seen in the picture). This causes strain on the neck. Thus, the ergonomic challenge, then, is to position the operator relative to the truck to safely take advantage of this performance, yet avoid the musculoskeletal extremes of posture that lead to soft tissue damage and repetitive motion disorders.

To analyze and then design this operator/truck system, we must ask these questions:
What is this merged man-machine system required to do? What are its tasks? To get the answers we must conduct a task analysis that consists of an examination of how the truck is used in the warehouse, and then analyze how the operator relates to both the tasking and to the truck to accomplish this tasks. To get more information of the reach truck application and ergonomic, please visit this site: http://www.raymondcorp.com/das/PDF_storage/TechnicalPapers/Form0052.pdf

To resolve such a problem and to improve on ergonomic, presents reach trucks that has an adjustable seat. this helps to improve visibility, stability and operator comfort.

Reach truck with a adjustable seat to allow better visibility ans reducing the strain on the operator's neck

For more information on the reach truck with the adjustable seat, please vist this site: http://www.ferret.com.au/c/Toyota-Material-Handling/Bt-Reflex-Reach-Truck-With-Tilting-Cabin-p12537