Buying Tips
When purchasing a forklift, there are many things to take into account as this decision could impact a lot of things like productivity, operating expenses, machine downtime, and even worker morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a new or second-hand lift truck, the following is a short list of factors to take into consideration. There can be several particular questions the sales consultant must deal with to be able to help you pick the best alternative that is right for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your needs will ultimately help that you could find the best most capable forklift for your business. How large are your standard load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day would you be using this machine? Would you be running the machinery outdoors or indoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions would ensure you are happy with the unit you select.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
You might want to buy a new unit of forklift if you are intending to utilize your lift truck for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone would truly be handy. A used option would probably be enough for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric forklift batteries would allow the forklift to run for around 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor application since they generate no harmful emissions. Even if electric models are usually more pricey than other models, they have less operating expenses. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to consider. Additionally, these machinery have less moving parts so they have a longer life span since they have fewer components to get worn down.
The electric forklift is not without its disadvantages however. These machines need recharging posts that can take as much as 8 hours th charge. There is an added 8 hours required 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 equipped with either pneumatic or inflated, air-filled tires or cushion tires which are made up of solid rubber. There can be also solid pneumatic tires that are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire style is perfect to be utilized outside. Cushion tires are best for indoor use and solid pneumatic tires are the best alternative for dangerous work settings where there is potential for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.