Buying Tips
There is certainly many things to take into consideration when purchasing a lift truck. Choosing the best machinery can have a big impact on everything from productivity to operating costs, to machine downtime and employee morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a new or second-hand forklift, the following is a short list of things to take into account. There are actually several specific questions the sales consultant must address to be able to help you select the best alternative that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your requirements would ultimately help that you could find the best most capable forklift for your business. How large are your standard load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day will you be using this equipment? Would you be running the machine outdoors or indoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Answering these questions accurately will make certain that you are satisfied with the model you select.
Step2: Brand new Vs. Second-hand Forklifts
If you are intending to use your forklift more than 4 hours per day, you will probably want to buy a new model. The warranty benefits alone will come in handy. A second-hand alternative will probably be adequate for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
Normally, the large batteries that power electric forklifts could run for an 8 hour shift. The electric models are best suited for indoor applications since they generate no harmful emissions. Though electric units are usually more pricey compared to other units, they have less operating costs. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. Also, these equipment have fewer moving components so they have a longer life span because they have fewer components to get worn down.
One of the downsides of the battery operated lift trucks is that they require battery recharging stations and this could take around 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours needed for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market so as to considerably reduce charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a great 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 is certainly also solid pneumatic tires which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire type is great to be used outdoors. Cushion tires are perfect to be used inside and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect choice for dangerous work settings where there is potential for standard tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.