Order picker trucks are designed to retrieve items on or near the ground level directly from a storage area. They are composed of an extendable mast, long load platform, a stand-up operator platform, and a load former, which defines the volume over a portion of the load platform to guide the operator and stabilize the load on the platform.
Order picker trucks are designed to retrieve items on or near the ground level directly from a storage area. An order picker truck is a type of narrow aisle forklift, operating in aisles less than 6 feet wide. It is able to move racked loads smaller than the pallet size among shelves and storage units. Order picker trucks are a useful vehicle for keeping stored goods and materials in order and organized. They are used widely in material handling applications due to their capacity for heavy and awkward loads, and for the efficiency which they add to warehouses, storage facilities, manufacturing and construction sites and more. Most order picker trucks are composed of an extendable mast, long load platform, a stand-up operator platform, and a load former. The load former defines the volume over a portion of the load platform to guide the operator and stabilize the load on the platform. These are the basic components required in order to perform picking and moving duties. Most order picker trucks have recently become electric due to newer emission standards as electric forklifts do not require fuels to power the vehicle although propane, diesel and gasoline trucks are still widely used.
The typical weight capacity for order picker trucks is 3500 pounds, although, as with other types of industrial trucks, this can be adjusted according to application. The operator compartment in order picker trucks rises vertically simultaneously with the fork, which facilitates manual loading and unloading from storage rack systems. The lift needs to be fabricated from durable and long-lasting materials in order to withstand the tensile stress it experiences during normal operations. The height of the vertical lift affects the stability of the vehicle and even though they are able to lift pallets up to 40 feet in the air, most order picker trucks will become unstable at the maximum height. Operator safety is a primary concern of any manufacturing facility and forklift trucks need to be operated by trained personnel exercising caution. On the truck, the load platform and fork are independent of each other, but both travel vertically and are controlled by a control panel run by the truck operator. Some operating compartments are considered a cabin, which has a roof, while others merely have a standing platform. Both of these often have anti-fatigue flooring, which helps operators work while standing for longer periods of time. Pneumatic tires may also be added to a forklift to improve the traction of the vehicle and the comfort of the ride for the operator.
