Buying Tips
When purchasing a lift truck, there is certainly many things to take into consideration because this decision may impact lots of things like productivity, operating expenses, equipment downtime, and even worker morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a brand new or second-hand lift truck, the following is a short list of things to take into account. There are several particular questions the sales consultant should deal with in order to help you pick the best option that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Taking the time to identify your requirements will help ensure that you could find a capable machinery. What size are your typical loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day would you be using this machine? Will you be running the equipment indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Answering these questions accurately would make certain that you are happy with the unit you choose.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. New Forklifts
You may want to buy a brand new unit of forklift if you are intending to use your lift truck for more than 4 hours per day. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A second-hand choice would more than likely be enough for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
Usually, the huge batteries which power electric forklifts could run for an 8 hour shift. The electric models are best suited for indoor use as they generate no harmful emissions. Although electric units are usually more pricey compared to other models, they have less operating costs. Electric lift trucks are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to consider. Furthermore, these machinery have fewer moving components so they have a longer life span as they have fewer components to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its disadvantages however. These machinery require recharging posts that can take as long as 8 hours th charge. There is an added 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
Forklifts are outfitted with either pneumatic or air-filled, inflated 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 type is great to be utilized outdoors. Cushion tires are perfect to be used indoors and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect option for hazardous work environments where there is potential for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.