Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there are many things to take into account because this decision can impact many things such as production, operating expenses, equipment downtime, and even worker morale.
Below is a brief list of factors to think about when deciding on a brand new or used forklift. There are some particular questions the sales consultant must deal with in order to help you select the best alternative which is best for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your requirements would ultimately help that you can find the best most capable lift truck for your company. How big are your normal load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours every day will you be using this machinery? Will you be running the equipment indoors or outdoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Correctly answering these questions would make certain that you are happy with the unit you pick.
Step2: New Vs. Used Lift Trucks
You may want to buy a new unit of lift truck if you are intending to use your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A used choice will probably be enough for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric lift truck batteries will allow the lift truck to run for roughly 8 hours. These specific power sources make forklifts uniquely suited for indoor use because they generate no harmful emissions. Although electric units are usually more pricey compared to other units, they have less operating expenses. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to take into consideration. Furthermore, these types of machinery have less moving components so they have a longer life span because they have fewer components to get worn down.
Among the downsides of the battery operated lift trucks is that they need battery recharging posts and this could take about 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours needed for cooling. Recent changes have made their way onto the market in order to significantly 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 which are made up of solid rubber. There are actually also solid pneumatic tires which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outside applications. Cushion tires are perfect to be used indoors and solid pneumatic tires are the best choice for hazardous work settings where there is a risk for standard tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.