Buying Tips
When purchasing a forklift, there are actually lots of things to take into account because this decision may impact a lot of things such as productivity, operating costs, machine downtime, and even employee morale.
Here is a brief list of things to consider when deciding on a new or used forklift. There are several particular questions the sales consultant has to deal with in order to help you pick the best option that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your needs will eventually help that you can 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 every day would you be utilizing this machine? Would you be running the machine indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions would make certain that you are happy with the unit you choose.
Step2: Used Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
If you are intending to use your forklift more than 4 hours per day, you will probably want to purchase a new model. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A used choice would more than likely be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric forklift batteries will allow the lift truck to run for about 8 hours. These specific power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor application because they generate no harmful emissions. Although electric models are normally more pricey compared to various other kinds of forklifts, they have lower operating costs. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to take into consideration. Also, these types of equipment have less moving components so they have a longer life span since they have less components to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its disadvantages though. These machinery need recharging posts 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 great new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Lift Trucks are outfitted with either pneumatic or inflated, air-filled tires or cushion tires that are made up of solid rubber. There are also solid pneumatic tires which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire style is best suited to be utilized outside. Cushion tires are great to be used inside and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect choice for hazardous work environments where there is a possibility for regular tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.