Buying Tips
There can be numerous things to take into account when purchasing a lift truck. Deciding on the best equipment could have a big impact on everything from productivity to operating costs, to equipment downtime and employee morale.
Here is a short list of things to consider when deciding on a brand new or second-hand forklift. There can be several specific questions the sales consultant has to deal with in order to help you select the best option that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Taking the time to identify your needs would help ensure that you could find a capable equipment. What size are your typical loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours every day will you be utilizing this machinery? Will you be running the equipment outdoors or indoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Correctly answering these questions would make certain that you are satisfied with the model you select.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
You may want to buy a brand new model of forklift if you are intending to use your forklift for more than 4 hours per day. The warranty benefits alone would truly be handy. A used option will probably be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric lift truck batteries would allow the lift truck to run for approximately 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor application since they produce no harmful emissions. Although electric units are generally more pricey compared to different other kinds of forklifts, they have lower operating costs. Electric lift trucks are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to take into account. In addition, these kinds of equipment have less moving parts so they have a longer life span since they have less components to get worn down.
Amongst the disadvantages of the battery operated forklifts is that they require battery recharging posts and this can take about 8 hours. There is an added 8 hours required for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market so as to significantly lessen charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a great new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Common forklifts utilize cushion tires made up of solid rubber or they will be outfitted with pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires. Some lift trucks would utilize a solid pneumatic tires, that is a combination of the two types of tire. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outside applications. Cushion tires are best to be utilized inside and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect choice for hazardous work environments where there is a risk for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.