It is quite important for some companies to examine the method of choosing a lift truck. For instance, will your company choose always the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There might be various other models on the market that offer less exhaustion to operators and allow more to get accomplished. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the right machinery to meet your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift units that deal with your specific concerns some of the key factors to consider could include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department only loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week, then you probably won't need an expensive lift truck to complete the tasks. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to handle the task if: You are not required to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough. Lastly, you need to think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator as the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door without difficulty. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, several forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork connected with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other tasks. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down kind.