Buying Tips
There can be many factors to take into account when purchasing a lift truck. Deciding on the right machinery can have a big effect on everything from production to operating costs, to equipment downtime and employee morale.
Below is a brief list of factors to consider when deciding on a new or used forklift. There can be some particular questions the sales consultant needs to deal with to be able to help you select the best option which is most suitable for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Needs
Identifying your needs will eventually help that you can 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 every day would you be using this machinery? Would you be running the machinery indoors or outdoors or possibly both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Accurately answering these questions will ensure you are satisfied with the model you choose.
Step2: Used Vs. New Forklifts
If you are planning to use your forklift more than 4 hours per day, you will probably want to buy a brand new model. The warranty benefits alone will really be handy. A used choice will probably be adequate for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The big electric forklift batteries would allow the forklift to run for roughly 8 hours. These specific power sources make forklifts uniquely suited for indoor use because they generate no harmful emissions. Even if electric units are usually more pricey than other models, they have less operating costs. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to consider. Furthermore, these machinery have less moving parts so they have a longer life span because they have fewer parts to get worn down.
The electric forklift is not without its downsides though. These machines need recharging stations which could 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 in order to significantly reduce charging time. The fast-charge technology has become a wonderful new thing.
Step 4: Tire Choice
Lift Trucks are outfitted with either pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires or cushion tires which are made up of solid rubber. There is certainly also solid pneumatic tires that are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outside applications. Cushion tires are best to be utilized inside and solid pneumatic tires are the best choice for dangerous work environments where there is a possibility for regular tires being popped by sharp objects on rough terrain.