Buying Tips
When purchasing a forklift, there is certainly lots of factors to take into consideration because this decision could impact many things such as productivity, operating costs, equipment downtime, and even employee morale.
Here is a brief list of things to consider when deciding on a new or used lift truck. There are several specific questions the sales consultant should deal with to be able to help you pick the best alternative that is most suitable for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your requirements will ultimately help that you can find the best most capable forklift for your business. How large 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 utilizing this equipment? Will you be running the machine indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Correctly answering these questions will make certain that you are satisfied with the model you select.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Forklifts
You may want to purchase a new model of forklift if you are planning to use your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone will come in handy. A second-hand option will probably be enough for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The big electric forklift batteries would allow the forklift to run for around 8 hours. These specific power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor application as they produce no harmful emissions. Even though electric units are usually more expensive than other models, they have less operating expenses. Electric forklifts are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to take into account. Furthermore, these machines have fewer moving parts so they have a longer life span since they have less parts to get worn down.
Among the downsides of the battery operated lift trucks is that they require battery recharging stations and this can take about 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours required for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market in order to considerably reduce charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a great new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Common forklifts use cushion tires made up of solid rubber or they would be outfitted with pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires. Some lift trucks would utilize a solid pneumatic tires, which is a combination of the two kinds of tire. The pneumatic tire style is great to be utilized outside. Cushion tires are best to be utilized indoors and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect option for hazardous work environments where there is a chance for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.