A reach truck and a counterbalance forklift are very familiar lifting vehicles in a warehouse. These two types of lift vehicles have baffled many warehouse operators and below are the differences between the counterbalance forklift and reach truck.

Reach Truck

A reach truck one of the types of a lift truck also referred to as a straddle truck, double-reach truck or a stand-up reach truck. The reach truck has two outer legs for distributing the weight of the load. Fitted to each of the legs, are either one or two wheels. Under the seating position of the operator is where you can find the drive wheel.

The driver of a reach truck sits sideways when operating the reach truck. The reach truck moves the load back within the wheelbase when lifting a load and you will notice that the cargo hardly protrudes from the body of the reach truck. This type of truck gets its name from the design of the truck since it can reach out further than its stability legs.

The reach truck can reach out into the warehouse’s racking and can lift loads very high and in tight narrow spaces. The design of the reach truck uses a tilt mechanism of the cab to provide a better viewing position for the driver. In modern reach truck design, the vehicle has cameras all around, which transmit a live feed to an LCD screen in the driver’s cabin. It is best suited for indoor use.

Counterbalance Forklift

This is commonly known as the usual forklift. The forks of a counterbalance forklift stick out from the front of the vehicle with no protruding legs. This feature makes the counterbalance forklift maneuverable close to the location of the load and no reach features are necessary. It is highly favoured by many warehouses since it can operate in a straightforward fashion.

This type of forklift gets its name from the design of the vehicle since it has an enormous counterweight feature. It acts to balance and offset the load on the front of the vehicle. Gas, diesel, or electricity powers many of the counterbalance forklift trucks. Electric counterbalance forklift trucks require a lighter counterweight since its battery is quite heavy.

Unlike a reach truck, the counterbalance forklift can be used both indoors and outdoors.

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