Baoli KBET 15-18-20: three-wheeler for narrow passages and frequent turns

There is a moment that every warehouse worker knows: the forklift stops in front of the rack, picks up the pallet, and then the maneuver begins. Forward, back, then forward again — because the passage is not wide enough for the machine to turn from the first place.

This maneuver lasts fifteen seconds. Repeated two hundred times a day, that’s almost an hour. And each of those maneuvers is also an opportunity to scratch the rack or damage the goods on the adjacent pallet.

Baoli KBET 15-18-20 is a machine made so that there is no such maneuver. The solution is not in power or electronics, but in geometry — in having three wheels instead of four.

Content:

• Why three wheels change everything
• Load capacity and height: 2,000 kg at six meters
• Battery 48 V: what does the range 505-700 Ah mean
• Who is it intended for?
• Technical specifications
• Price and configuration

Why three wheels change everything

A classic front-end forklift has four wheels and pivots around a point somewhere between the rear wheels. To turn 90 degrees, it needs space — and usually more than the warehouse designer imagines.

The three-wheeler has one drive wheel at the back, in the middle. This moves the pivot point back and allows the machine to virtually pivot in place. At KBET, it means turning radius under 3.4 meters.

Translated into everyday work: a passage that was “just enough to somehow slip through” until now becomes a passage that is passed through normally. A three-move maneuver becomes one move. And if you’re planning a warehouse layout, the narrower geometry also means the possibility of narrowing aisles and getting extra rows of racks — which is the cheapest way to get storage space.

There is another side, and it’s fair to say: a three-wheeler is slightly less stable on uneven terrain than a four-wheeler. That makes it a machine for closed spaces with a flat floor, not for a muddy lot.

Load capacity and height: 2,000 kg at six meters

The series covers the range 1,500 to 2,000 kg, and the number in the label tells which model it is: KBET 15, KBET 18 or KBET 20. For most domestic warehouses, this is the correct range — it covers the full euro pallet of practically anything, with a reserve for unevenly distributed loads.

The maximum lifting height is 6,000 mm, so six meters. That is already a serious rack height: we are talking about a warehouse with four to five levels of pallets in height, depending on the height of the pallet.

Something often overlooked is worth mentioning here: load capacity decreases with lift height. A machine that carries 2,000 kg on the floor will not carry the same 2,000 kg on six meters. Therefore, when choosing, you should always look at the load diagram for a specific configuration, and not just the number from the model name. If you’re not sure what you need, tell us how heavy the pallets go at what height — that’s the only information we really need.

Battery 48 V: what does the range 505-700 Ah mean

KBET works on 48 V system, with battery capacity from 505 to 700 Ah. That range is not an uncertainty but a choice — it is chosen according to how much the machine actually works.

The smaller battery (505 Ah) is cheaper and lighter, and quite sufficient for working in one shift with breaks. The larger one (700 Ah) makes sense when working longer, when there is no time for intermediate charging, or when the machine works in a cold area — because the battery capacity decreases at low temperatures.

The rule we suggest: measure how many hours the machine actually runs on the worst day of the month, not on average. The battery is chosen according to that day, because an empty battery at peak times costs more than the difference in price.

We wrote more about the choice and maintenance of batteries in the texts about batteries for forklifts.

Who is it intended for?

KBET is the right choice for:

• Warehouses with narrow aisles — every centimeter of aisle saved is returned as additional pallet space.
• Work indoors — without exhaust gases and with little noise, so it can also be used where people work near the machine.
• Food industry and cold stores — electric drive is the rule here, not the exception.
• Work in two shifts — with a properly selected battery from the upper part of the range.
• Replacement of an older diesel machine in the hall — the most common reason they call us.

Not the right choice for working on open land with uneven terrain, for mud and snow, or for loads over two tons. For such conditions, watch diesel and LPG machines — we will write about the difference between drives separately.

Technical specifications

Full specifications and catalog excerpt are on the model page: Baoli KBET 15-18-20. The entire program is on the page Electric forklifts.

Price and configuration

The price starts from €16,900.00 + VAT. That price refers to the base model KBET 15; the final price depends on the selected configuration — load capacity, lifting height, battery capacity and accessories.

The listed prices are without VAT and refer to registered economic entities; payment is made in dinar equivalent at the middle exchange rate of the NBS on the day of payment. It goes with the machine guarantee for legal entities lasting 12 months*, with service and spare parts provided.

Since KBET is configured as needed, the offer only makes sense when we know three things: what is the heaviest pallet, to what height it rises i how many hours a day the machine works. With those three pieces of information, we give an exact price, not a range.

Send it request for quotation, call 021/6040-505 (Monday–Saturday, 7:00–15:00) or write to info@viljuskari-jovic.rs. If we judge that a smaller machine is sufficient for you, we will also tell you that — stacker sometimes doing the same job for half the money.

* The guarantee is contracted in accordance with the valid laws of the Republic of Serbia.