Vertical-mast and rough-terrain forklifts keep lifting and positioning various building supplies on different jobsites even through the evolution and rise of telehandlers on the market. There are numerous conventional-style lift trucks offered within the material handling business which lost market share to telehandlers. This occurred particularly when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular once more because of their greater production, lower cost and modification of some telehandler-like features.
The straight mast forklift can complete double the work as a telehandler due to their superior handling and maneuverability in addition to their better ground speed. Fascinatingly enough, rental outfits are beginning to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Rental buyers are having major influence within the rough-terrain forklift industry. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast lift trucks are presently being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are normally driven mainly by utilization, which is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
The telehandler has become a very popular machinery within the material handling business. Their popularity has given them a super advantage in terms of rental utilization. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several forklift users who feel that telehandlers are not practically as productive as opposed to traditional rough-terrain forklifts for unloading and loading repetitive tasks. This means that even though competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many choose the RT forklifts that have been working well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is ganglier, a little slower to operate and needs a higher level of skillfulness to finish the task. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There would always be a place within the industry for forklifts though, as there are locations that you could not access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and could carry a heavier cargo vertically as opposed to the telehandler. Essentially, so as to use the right machine for your application, you will have to determine what jobs precisely you will be completing, the type of environment and circumstances you will be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors will help you decide what the best options available are.