Envision this: your warehouse operation is bustling with activity, yet your order pickers are caught in a cycle of inefficiency. Workers trudge endless miles through tight aisles, climb ladders repeatedly, and fight with cumbersome equipment that wasn’t even designed for current high-density storage settings. Stock chasers provide a focused answer to these operational challenges, transforming how your team moves through, retrieves, and transports materials in tight-space facilities.

What Exactly Is a Stock Chaser?

A stock chaser is a small, stand-on electric vehicle built for order picking and material transport in tight warehouse aisles. Unlike traditional forklifts that need a large turning radius and substantial aisle space, these nimble workhorses maneuver through spaces as tight as standard doorways while delivering impressive payload limits.

Tackling Your Operational Issues

Narrow Aisle Navigation Made Simple

Modern warehouses typically use narrow aisle designs to maximize storage density, with some facilities featuring aisles as small as 8–10 feet. Stock chasers perform best in these environments, enabling operators to navigate efficiently without the spatial constraints that hinder traditional material handling equipment.

Ergonomic Design Reduces Worker Fatigue

The standing operator platform helps alleviate the physical strain involved in constant entering and exiting with seated vehicles. Optional ladders provide safe access to elevated shelving, get rid of the need for additional ladder retrieval and setup. This all-in-one design dramatically reduces the time and effort devoted to above-shoulder picking tasks.

Enhanced Productivity Through Speed and Agility

With speeds of up to eight mph and excellent turning capability, stock chasers enable faster order completion compared to walking or using bulky alternatives. The compact design allows operators to turn on a dime, reducing travel time between pick locations and allowing for more efficient route planning.

Real-World Applications and Benefits

Improved Order Picking Efficiency

Order picking accounts for more than half of typical warehouse man hours and nearly 55% of operating expenses. Stock chasers address this problem by supplying a platform that moves with the operator, eliminating repeated trips between storage locations and staging areas. Large cargo decks offer space for numerous orders or bulk items while maintaining stability in transit.

Cost-Effective Alternative to Traditional Equipment

While reach trucks and narrow aisle forklifts serve important functions in high-lift tasks, stock chasers provide a budget-friendly approach for ground-level and low-level picking activities. Their lower acquisition cost, simple design, and minimal training requirements make them an appealing solution for businesses wanting immediate productivity improvements.

Integration with Modern Warehouse Operations

Stock chasers work with existing warehouse management systems and can support various picking strategies. Whether your operation uses zone picking, batch picking, or wave picking strategies, these vehicles adjust to enable optimized picking flows. Their compact size allows several units to run in parallel without the traffic congestion issues typical of larger machines.

Making the Implementation Decision

When evaluating stock chasers for your business, factor in your current pain points with order picking efficiency, aisle width constraints, and worker ergonomics. These vehicles particularly benefit facilities with high-frequency picking operations, multiple SKUs requiring frequent access, and tight spaces that prevent the use of larger pieces of equipment.

Motrec stock chasers available through Raymond West feature proven durability and capability, with payloads from 500–2,000 lbs and the ability to tow up to 12,000 lbs. This versatility makes them well-suited for diverse jobs that go beyond picking, including carrying parts, service tasks, and manufacturing plant applications.

Transform Your Warehouse Operations Today

Stock chasers are more than a simple warehouse tool, they're a key asset for efficiency, safety, and your bottom line.

Curious about the impact of stock chasers on your workflow? Contact Raymond West today to review your needs and find out how Motrec stock chasers can deliver measurable boosts in your warehouse efficiency.

Raymond West's Stockton facility serves much of the northern Central Valley, including Stockton, Lathrop, Lodi, Tracy, Modesto, and Merced.

Raymond West | Stockton Material Handling Equipment Supplier

19107 Christopher Way
Lathrop, CA 95330
(800) 675-2500