Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there can be a lot of factors to take into consideration as this decision may impact a lot of things like production, operating costs, equipment downtime, and even employee morale.
Here is a short list of things to think about when deciding on a new or second-hand lift truck. There is certainly some particular questions the sales consultant should address to be able to help you choose the best option which is right for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Making the time to identify your requirements will help ensure that you could find a capable machinery. What size are your standard loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours every day would you be utilizing this machine? Will you be running the machinery indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Answering these questions correctly would ensure you are satisfied with the unit you select.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. New Forklifts
You may want to purchase a new model of forklift if you are planning to utilize your forklift for more than 4 hours per day. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A second-hand option will more than likely be enough for infrequent applications and light duty.
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 generate no harmful emissions. Although electric units are normally more expensive compared to various other kinds of forklifts, they have less operating costs. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. As well, these kinds of machinery have fewer moving parts so they have a longer life span as they have fewer components to get worn down.
Amongst the disadvantages of the battery operated forklifts is that they require battery recharging posts and this can take around 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours required for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market in order to significantly lessen 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 that 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 great to be utilized outdoors. Cushion tires are best for indoor applications and solid pneumatic tires are the best option for hazardous work environments where there is a risk for standard tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.