Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there can be a lot of things to take into account since this decision can impact a lot of things such as production, operating expenses, equipment downtime, and even employee morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a brand new or used forklift, the following is a brief list of things to take into consideration. There are some particular questions the sales consultant must address to be able to help you select the best alternative that is right for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your needs would eventually help that you can find the best most capable forklift for your company. How big are your standard load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day will you be utilizing this machine? Would you be running the machine indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions will ensure you are satisfied with the model you choose.
Step2: Brand new Vs. Second-hand Forklifts
You might want to purchase a brand new model of lift truck if you are planning to utilize your lift truck for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone will come in handy. A used alternative would probably be enough for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The large electric lift truck batteries will allow the lift truck to run for around 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor use because they produce no harmful emissions. Although electric models are normally more expensive compared to different other kinds of lift trucks, they have lower operating expenses. Electric forklifts are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to take into account. Additionally, these types of machines have less moving components so they have a longer life span as they have fewer parts to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its disadvantages though. These equipment need recharging stations 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 significantly reduce charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a wonderful new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Forklifts are outfitted with either pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires or cushion tires which are made up of solid rubber. There are actually also solid pneumatic tires that are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire style is perfect for outdoor applications. Cushion tires are best for interior use and solid pneumatic tires are the best alternative for hazardous work settings where there is potential for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.