Buying Tips
When buying a forklift, there are lots of factors to take into consideration since this decision may impact lots of things like production, operating costs, equipment downtime, and even employee morale.
Below is a short list of factors to think about when deciding on a brand new or used lift truck. There can be some specific questions the sales consultant needs to address in order to help you choose the best alternative that is most suitable for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your requirements would eventually help that you can find the best most capable lift truck 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 would you be utilizing this machine? Would you be running the machine outdoors or indoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions would make sure that you are satisfied with the unit you pick.
Step2: Brand new Vs. Used Forklifts
If you are intending to use your forklift more than 4 hours a day, you would probably want to purchase a brand new unit. The warranty benefits alone would truly be handy. A used option will more than likely be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
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 use as they produce no harmful emissions. Although electric models are generally more pricey compared to other units, they have lower operating costs. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. What's more, these machines have fewer moving parts so they have a longer life span since they have fewer parts to get worn down.
The electric forklift is not without its disadvantages though. These machinery need recharging stations which can take as much as 8 hours th charge. There is an additional 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 use cushion tires made up of solid rubber or they will be equipped with pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires. Several forklifts will utilize a solid pneumatic tires, that is a combination of the two types of tire. The pneumatic tire kind is best suited for outside applications. Cushion tires are perfect for indoor applications and solid pneumatic tires are the best choice for hazardous work environments where there is potential for regular tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.