Even after the rise and explosion of telehandlers on the material handling business, rough terrain forklifts and vertical mast lift trucks could be found picking up and moving various products and supplies on jobsites around the globe. There have been many other standard lift trucks which lost market share to telehandlers. This happened particularly when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Since that time, sales numbers have stabilized. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-emerged and seem to be becoming more popular again because of their greater production, lower cost and alteration of some telehandler-like features.
Straight-mast equipment will finish twice the work which a telehandler will do because of their ground speed and maneuverability. Interestingly enough, rental companies are starting to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Within the rough-terrain lift truck industry, rental buyers have been having a greater influence. Over 50 percent of all vertical-mast lift trucks are currently being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are generally driven mostly by use, which is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
The telehandler has become an extremely popular machinery in the material handling industry. Their popularity has given them a better advantage in terms of rental use. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is some forklift users who feel that telehandlers are not practically as helpful compared to conventional rough-terrain forklifts for loading and unloading repetitive tasks. This means that even if competition among telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, a lot prefer the RT forklifts that have been performing well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is a little slower, ganglier to operate and requires a higher level of skill to complete the task. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There would always be a place in the business for lift trucks though, since there are locations which you would not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and can lift a heavier cargo vertically compared to the telehandler. Basically, in order to utilize the best machinery for your application, you will have to determine what jobs exactly you will be completing, the kind of setting and conditions you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors would help you choose what the right options available are.