Welcome to Narrow Aisle - Home of the Flexi Lift Truck

Operating the Flexi

1. Drive on the opposite side of the aisle you intend to pick. If you are picking a pallet on the right you must position the Flexi about 6-8” from the rack on the left side of the aisle and vice versa. Many people wonder how the Flexi can operate in such a small aisle with no reach pantograph. It’s because positioning the Flexi on the opposite side of the aisle allows it to reach through the aisle and into the rack.

2.   Turn into the pallet at the proper time.   When the leading edge of the front tires are even with the center stringer of the pallet, that’s when to begin to turn. Invariably a new operator will turn too soon and undershoot when first attempting to pick a pallet because they turn where they would normally turn when driving a conventional forklift or reach truck. When turning at that spot they will ALWAYS undershoot the pallet by about 18” because the front axle actually comes under the chassis of the truck much quicker than they expect.    To learn when to turn, it is suggested that a new operator drive straight ahead and stop when the leading edge of the front tires are even with the center stringer of the pallet to be picked. With the Flexi stopped, turn the front end 90 degrees. You will then be centered into the pallet to be picked. A seasoned operator will not stop the truck in this manner, but rather will continue on in one fluid movement into the rack.

3. When removing the pallet from the rack, continue to steer in the same direction that you turned in order to drive into the rack. If you turned to the right to enter the rack, continue to steer to the right when backing the pallet into the aisle. This is counter intuitive until you realize that when doing so, the pallet comes straight out of the rack. If you attempt to turn the opposite direction too soon, the pallet will hang up on the upright or on the pallet beside it and can’t be pulled all the way into the aisle. When the pallet is clear of the rack, straighten the Flexi and proceed in forward or reverse at that time.

4. When picking a load from the 3rd or 4th level use maximum back tilt which will allow additional clearance out of the rack, making it easier to remove the pallet.

5. Use the shortest fork possible which still stabilizes the load. Longer forks may not hinder the effectiveness of a conventional forklift, but they can impact the operation of a Flexi. Remember that this is a very narrow aisle forklift. When pulling the forks out of a pallet, 39” forks give a 3” advantage over 42” forks. Therefore, in a narrow aisle it is considerably easier to work with 39” forks that are standard.

6. In an open area, be sure to put the Flexi in a full 360 degree turn and drive it. The Flexi does not look like a narrow aisle forklift, but it operates much smaller than it looks. Turning 360 degrees shows the tremendous maneuverability of the Flexi.

7. For maximum productivity, the Flexi is designed to operate in an aisle that is 3’ wide plus the depth of the pallet. It can actually be operated in an aisle as narrow as 2.5’ plus the depth of the pallet but in this really narrow aisle, the Flexi is working on minimum requirements which will slow productivity a bit. Short forks are VERY important in these narrower aisles. Also, additional side clearance between the pallets in the rack eases the operation in the narrower aisle.   Side-shift also becomes more important. When picking a load on the right, side-shift to the left (and vise versa). With the side-shift fully extended you now get additional side shift stroke in the direction needed to retrieve a load in minimum aisle clearance conditions.

8. When learning to operate the Flexi in a 9’ to 12’ aisle (before narrowing the aisles) it is best to simulate the narrower aisle by measuring 7’ from the rack on one side and then placing pallets or boxes on the floor to represent the rack on the opposite side. Using masking tape on the floor 7’ off of one rack simulates the aisle as well.   Then practice in that 7 aisle. You can easily see how significant the space saving will be   If you practice with the Flexi in a wider aisle you may develop bad habits which will have to be eliminated when in a 7’ aisle.

9. Long Flexi practice sessions are MUCH better than short ones.   Because there are a few steps to be learned in order to become proficient with the operation of a Flexi, it’s best if a new operator can devote 3-4 hours of uninterrupted time to practice. When doing so, the operator gains confidence and hones the skills necessary for successful operation. If a new operator is on and off the truck using it in the normal course of business, it’s more difficult to learn how to drive it. It’s preferable to limit the number of operators learning to operate the Flexi at the same time. If too many operators spend too little time, none become comfortable operating it.   Training 2 operators one day, then 2 more the next day, is much better than trying to train 4 in one day.

10. Compared with other narrow aisle trucks (swing-masts, reach trucks, turret trucks) the Flexi is simple. The Flexi has conventional automotive style steering and the conventional hydraulics of a standard counterbalanced forklift. There are really only 3 functions, lift/lower, tilt forward/back, and side shift. Other narrow aisle trucks are more complicated requiring more functions.