It is quite key for several businesses to examine the method of selecting a lift truck. For example, will your business choose consistently the same unit for your warehouse or dock work? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more effective forklift. There could be other units on the market that enable more to get accomplished as they offer less fatigue to operators. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the right machine to suit all of your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you can significantly increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to think about when determining forklift models which deal with specific problems include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week, then you probably won't require an expensive lift truck to accomplish the tasks. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie unit would be able to deal with the task if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is enough and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Lastly, you have to think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator as the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control model may make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door easily. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, each company has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators will normally load and unload products in the shipping department as well as storing objects on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it much faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.