Buying Tips
When purchasing a forklift, there are lots of things to take into consideration since this decision may impact a lot of things such as production, operating costs, machine downtime, and even employee morale.
Below is a short list of factors to think about when deciding on a brand new or used forklift. There are actually several specific questions the sales consultant should address in order to help you choose the best alternative which is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Taking the time to identify your needs will help ensure that you could find a capable machine. What size are your standard loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day would you be utilizing this machine? Would you be running the equipment outdoors or indoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Correctly answering these questions would ensure you are satisfied with the model you pick.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
If you are planning to utilize your lift truck more than 4 hours a day, you would probably want to purchase a new unit. The warranty benefits alone will really be handy. A used option would more than likely be enough for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The large electric forklift batteries will allow the lift truck to run for approximately 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor use as they produce no harmful emissions. Even if electric units are normally more expensive compared to other units, they have lower operating costs. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to take into consideration. Also, these kinds of equipment have fewer moving components so they have a longer life span since they have fewer parts to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its downsides however. These machines require recharging stations which may take as much as 8 hours th charge. There is an additional 8 hours needed for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market so as to significantly lessen charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a wonderful new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Lift Trucks are equipped with either pneumatic or inflated, air-filled tires or cushion tires which are made up of solid rubber. There can be also solid pneumatic tires which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire style is perfect for outdoor use. Cushion tires are perfect to be used inside and solid pneumatic tires are the best alternative for hazardous work settings where there is potential for standard tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.