Buying Tips
When buying a forklift, there are many factors to take into consideration as this decision can impact a lot of things such as production, operating expenses, machine downtime, and even employee morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a brand new or used lift truck, the following is a short list of things to take into account. There is certainly several particular questions the sales consultant should deal with to be able to help you pick the best alternative which is most suitable for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your requirements would ultimately help that you could find the best most capable forklift for your company. How large are your normal load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day will you be using this equipment? Would you be running the machinery outdoors or indoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Correctly answering these questions will ensure you are happy with the model you choose.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Forklifts
You may want to purchase a new unit of lift truck if you are intending to use your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A used alternative would more than likely be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The huge electric forklift batteries will allow the forklift to run for about 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor use because they produce no harmful emissions. Although electric units are generally more pricey than various other kinds of lift trucks, they have less operating expenses. Electric forklifts are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. Moreover, these machinery have fewer moving parts so they have a longer life span because they have fewer components to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its disadvantages however. These equipment need recharging posts that could take as much as 8 hours th charge. There is an added 8 hours required for cooling. Recent changes 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
Lift Trucks are equipped 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 type is best suited to be utilized outdoors. Cushion tires are great for indoor use and solid pneumatic tires are the best choice for hazardous work settings where there is potential for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.