Buying Tips
There are many factors to take into consideration when buying a forklift. Choosing the best machinery could have a big effect on everything from production to operating costs, to equipment downtime and employee morale.
Below is a short list of factors to consider when deciding on a brand new or used lift truck. There can be several particular questions the sales consultant must deal with in order to help you pick the best alternative that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your requirements will eventually help that you can find the best most capable lift truck for your business. How big are your standard load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours every day will you be utilizing this machinery? Would you be running the equipment indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Answering these questions accurately will make sure that you are satisfied with the unit you pick.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
You may want to purchase a new unit of forklift if you are intending to utilize your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone will come in handy. A second-hand choice would more than likely be enough for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric lift truck batteries will allow the forklift to run for roughly 8 hours. These particular power sources make forklifts uniquely suited for indoor application as they produce no harmful emissions. Though electric models are usually more expensive compared to other units, they have lower operating expenses. Electric forklifts are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. Also, these kinds of machinery have less 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 downsides however. These machinery require recharging posts which can take as much as 8 hours th charge. There is an additional 8 hours required for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market in order to significantly reduce charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a wonderful new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Lift Trucks are equipped with either pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires or cushion tires that are made up of solid rubber. There is certainly also solid pneumatic tires that are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outdoor use. Cushion tires are perfect to be used inside and solid pneumatic tires are the best option for hazardous work settings where there is potential for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.