Buying Tips
When purchasing a forklift, there can be a lot of things to take into account as this decision can impact lots of things like productivity, operating costs, machine downtime, and even employee morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a new or used forklift, the following is a brief list of factors to take into account. There are several particular questions the sales consultant must address in order to help you pick the best alternative that is best for your company.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your requirements would ultimately help that you could find the best most capable lift truck for your company. How big are your typical load sizes? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours every day would you be using this machine? Would you be running the machine indoors or outdoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Correctly answering these questions will ensure you are satisfied with the unit you choose.
Step2: Brand new Vs. Used Forklifts
You might want to purchase a new unit of forklift if you are planning to use your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone would come in handy. A used choice would more than likely be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The large electric lift truck batteries would allow the forklift to run for roughly 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor use because they generate no harmful emissions. Even though electric models are normally more expensive than various other kinds of lift trucks, they have lower operating costs. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to think about. Furthermore, these kinds of machines have less moving parts so they have a longer life span since they have less parts to get worn down.
The electric lift truck is not without its disadvantages though. These machinery require recharging posts that may take as long as 8 hours th charge. There is an additional 8 hours required for cooling. Recent changes have made their way onto the market so as to considerably lessen charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a wonderful new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Common lift trucks use cushion tires made up of solid rubber or they would be equipped with pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires. Several forklifts would use a solid pneumatic tires, which is a combination of the two kinds of tire. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outdoor applications. Cushion tires are best for indoor applications and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect option for hazardous work settings where there is potential for standard tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.