{"id":5007,"date":"2026-09-23T09:04:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cstarmach.com\/?p=5007"},"modified":"2026-09-23T09:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:04:32","slug":"apilador-electrico-para-montar-a-horcajadas-frente-a-apilador-de-contrapeso-que-se-adapta-a-sus-pales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cstarmach.com\/es\/electric-straddle-stacker-vs-counterbalance-stacker-which-fits-your-pallets\/","title":{"rendered":"Apilador el\u00e9ctrico a horcajadas frente a apilador de contrapeso: \u00bfqu\u00e9 se adapta a sus paletas?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The difference between these two stackers often becomes clear only after something changes in the warehouse. A supplier sends a different pallet, a rack guard is added, or a loaded pallet begins to overhang its deck. The truck may still have enough rated capacity and lift height, yet the operator cannot complete the job: the support legs strike a bottom board, the rack base blocks their path, or the loaded truck cannot finish the turn into the aisle.<\/p>\n

At that point, the choice between an electric straddle stacker<\/strong> and a counterbalance stacker<\/strong> is no longer a catalog comparison. It is a question of how the truck reaches, supports and positions the actual pallet. A straddle stacker carries forward support legs along the outside of the load. A counterbalance stacker keeps the front of the chassis open and balances the load with mass behind the mast. That structural difference affects pallet entry, rack clearance, aisle space and floor loading.<\/p>\n

This guide follows the same order as the handling task itself: first the pallet entry and support-leg path, then the loaded turn and rack approach, followed by capacity at height and floor loading. Pallet labels such as “Euro,” “GMA” and “four-way” are useful references, but the decision should be based on the pallet as it is actually loaded and presented to the truck.<\/p>\n

\"Side<\/p>\n

What Is an Electric Straddle Stacker?<\/h2>\n

An electric straddle stacker \u2014 sometimes called a straddle leg stacker \u2014 uses forward support legs to create a support base around the pallet area. As the forks enter the pallet, the legs remain on the floor and travel along its outer sides, allowing the pallet to be lifted between them.<\/p>\n

Because the support base extends toward the load, this design can use a more compact rear chassis than a comparable counterbalance layout. The pallet, wrapping and any load overhang must still fit inside the leg spread, with a clear floor path on both sides. Bottom deck boards can still be compatible with a true wide-straddle layout because the support legs travel outside the pallet rather than through its fork openings.<\/p>\n

The figure that actually decides compatibility is clear inside-leg width, not the pallet’s nominal size. A “1,200 mm” pallet can end up wider once cartons, wrap or a damaged board extend past the deck, and the available path can narrow further at rack uprights, guards or neighboring pallets. Adjustable-outrigger models need their adjustment range to reach the working position; fixed-width models have to fit the route as built.<\/p>\n

The CSNS-20 full-electric stacker with support legs<\/a> is a useful reference point: 2,000 kg rated capacity at a 500 mm load center, with a 1,300 mm inside-leg width. That 1,300 mm figure is what you’d check against the widest point of the loaded pallet \u2014 before you look at the aisle or the rack at all.<\/p>\n

What Is a Counterbalance Legless Stacker?<\/h2>\n

When the pallet or rack leaves no usable path for straddle legs, a counterbalance layout removes those legs from the front of the truck. The load moment in front of the mast is balanced by the chassis mass behind it, following the same general stability principle used by a counterbalanced forklift.<\/p>\n

Only the forks reach the pallet, so leg clearance stops being part of the pickup. That makes it a workable option for stringer pallets, closed-base containers, controlled load overhang, and rack layouts that would otherwise block a straddle-leg path.<\/p>\n

Removing the legs solves one access problem but opens a different set of checks. Fork length and spacing need to suit the entry opening, and the longer weighted chassis needs room to swing behind the mast when turning. Its service weight also becomes a live concern on trailer floors, dock plates and mezzanines \u2014 more on that below.<\/p>\n

The CSHF-C20 full-electric counterbalance legless stacker<\/a> is rated at 2,000 kg at a 500 mm load center, with a 3,000 mm standard lift height and a 1,020 mm overall width \u2014 figures worth setting next to the pallet dimensions, required lift height and available turning space at the same time.<\/p>\n

Straddle Stacker vs Counterbalance Stacker: Structural Differences at a Glance<\/h2>\n

A straddle chassis uses floor space beside the pallet; a counterbalance chassis pushes more of the truck’s length behind the mast. Neither is more compact across the board \u2014 which dimension matters depends on the maneuver you’re doing.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Selection Point<\/th>\nElectric Straddle Stacker<\/th>\nCounterbalance Stacker<\/th>\nWhat to Check<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Load support<\/strong><\/td>\nForward legs straddle the pallet or load.<\/td>\nChassis and rear counterweight balance the load.<\/td>\nPallet width, load overhang and support-leg path.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pallet access<\/strong><\/td>\nWorks when the pallet and load fit inside the leg spread.<\/td>\nOnly the forks approach the pallet from the front.<\/td>\nBottom boards, openings, fork entry and orientation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rack approach<\/strong><\/td>\nNeeds a clear route for both support legs.<\/td>\nNo forward support-leg path required.<\/td>\nRack uprights, guards, floor beams, adjacent pallets.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aisle geometry<\/strong><\/td>\nLeg spread affects total width and the loaded turn.<\/td>\nCounterweight can add body length and rear swing.<\/td>\nRight-angle stacking aisle, turning path, pallet sweep.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Floor loading<\/strong><\/td>\nDepends on truck weight, wheel layout and load.<\/td>\nCounterweight commonly increases truck mass.<\/td>\nService weight, wheel loads, structural floor limits.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Read this as a sequence of site checks, not a ranking \u2014 one truck isn’t universally more compact than the other. The more basic question is simply whether either truck can engage the pallet from the direction your warehouse actually uses.<\/p>\n

Pallet Compatibility: Entry Direction and Bottom Structure<\/h2>\n

Start at the pickup point, with the pallet loaded the way it normally arrives. That’s what shows whether the support legs, forks and load can occupy the required space at the same time.<\/p>\n

Where Can the Support Legs Travel?<\/h3>\n

Look at the pallet from the entry side and from above. For a straddle stacker, check the clear space between the inside faces of the support legs against the widest part of the loaded pallet \u2014 including leaning cartons, stretch wrap, and any base component extending past the deck.<\/p>\n

For a counterbalance stacker, the relevant dimension shifts from outside leg spread to fork openings and support beneath the load. Where more than one entry direction is possible, record each orientation separately \u2014 a four-way-entry pallet can present different clearances from its long and short sides.<\/p>\n

Open-Bottom, Closed-Bottom, Stringer and Block Pallets<\/h3>\n

Pallet construction determines which parts of the truck need clearance. An open-bottom pallet leaves more room beneath the deck, while a closed-bottom pallet adds boards or runners that can obstruct trucks whose load arms or wheels must enter beneath the pallet. Stringer and block pallets may provide two-way, partial four-way or full four-way entry, depending on how they are built.<\/p>\n

A true wide-straddle layout is different because its support legs travel outside the pallet. A closed-bottom or GMA-style pallet can therefore be compatible when the loaded pallet fits inside the leg spread and both legs have a clear floor path. If the pallet, load overhang or rack blocks that outside path, a counterbalance stacker becomes the more practical layout to investigate.<\/p>\n

\"Diagram<\/p>\n

Aisle Width, Turning Radius and Rack Access<\/h2>\n

A successful pickup is only step one. The loaded truck still has to clear the pickup point, pass through the narrowest opening, turn at the aisle end, and align with the rack \u2014 each stage draws on a different part of the available space.<\/p>\n

Rack-Bottom Clearance and the Support-Leg Path<\/h3>\n

For a straddle model, trace both support legs through the full placement \u2014 depending on rack and truck arrangement, they may pass outside the pallet, between uprights, or beneath a beam. Upright protectors and floor-mounted guards often eat into the clearance shown on the original layout drawing.<\/p>\n

A counterbalance stacker has no forward legs, so a blocked rack base matters less. But its body, mast and load still need a clear approach \u2014 check the lowest rack position as it exists today, guards, damage and nearby stock included.<\/p>\n

The Complete Loaded Turn<\/h3>\n

Overall width only tells part of the story at the turn. A straddle model can be broad at the support legs; a counterbalance model can carry more length behind the mast and produce more rear swing. The pallet corners sweep across the opposite side of the aisle either way.<\/p>\n

Use the manufacturer’s right-angle stacking aisle figure for your pallet orientation, then draw the hardest maneuver on the warehouse plan \u2014 aisle-end turn, doorway approach, final rack alignment. If clearances remain tight on paper, a controlled site trial with the actual pallet and a trained operator is more reliable than comparing turning-radius figures in isolation.<\/p>\n

Load Center, Lift Height and Floor Loading<\/h2>\n

Once the layout checks confirm that the truck can reach and position the pallet, the next question is whether it can support the load at the required height without exceeding the limits of either the truck or the floor.<\/p>\n

Rated Capacity at the Required Load Center<\/h3>\n

Record the full loaded weight and the position of its center of gravity. A long pallet or an unevenly distributed load can push the load center farther from the fork face than the condition used for the truck’s headline rating \u2014 which lowers the capacity actually available for the job.<\/p>\n

Capacity at the Required Lift Height<\/h3>\n

State the fork height needed at the highest storage position, then ask for the applicable capacity for that mast and fork configuration. Where residual-capacity data or a load chart exists, match it to the actual load center and height \u2014 that gives you a working figure for the rack position, not a nominal ground-level rating.<\/p>\n

Service Weight, Wheel Load and Floor Strength<\/h3>\n

Counterbalance trucks carry mass behind the mast to balance the load, which makes service weight especially relevant on mezzanines, upper floors, elevators, dock plates and trailer floors. A straddle stacker distributes weight differently across its wheel positions and support-leg track, and small load wheels can concentrate their own forces. Either way, get the service weight and wheel-load figures from the supplier, and have load-sensitive structures reviewed by the site’s responsible engineer.<\/p>\n

What to Record Before Requesting a Quote<\/h2>\n

Start with the pallet that’s hardest to handle \u2014 not an empty sample sitting nearby \u2014 and record it loaded, in its normal condition:<\/p>\n