Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there is certainly a lot of things to take into consideration as this decision may impact numerous things such as productivity, operating expenses, equipment downtime, and even worker morale.
Below is a short list of things to consider when deciding on a new or second-hand lift truck. There can be several particular questions the sales consultant should deal with to be able to help you pick the best alternative which is right for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Identifying your requirements would ultimately help that you can find the best most capable lift truck for your business. How big are your standard 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? Will you be running the machinery indoors or outdoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions will ensure you are satisfied with the unit you select.
Step2: Used Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
You may want to purchase a new unit of forklift if you are planning to utilize your lift truck for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone will really be handy. A second-hand choice will probably be adequate for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The large electric forklift batteries would allow the lift truck to run for around 8 hours. These particular power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor use because they produce no harmful emissions. Even though electric units are normally more expensive than other models, they have lower operating costs. Electric forklifts are a lot quieter to run and do not have fuel storage needs to take into consideration. As well, these kinds of machinery have less moving parts so they have a longer life span as they have fewer components to get worn down.
The electric forklift is not without its downsides though. These equipment require recharging posts which could take as long as 8 hours th charge. There is an additional 8 hours needed for cooling. Recent changes have made their way onto the market in order to considerably 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 inflated, air-filled tires or cushion tires which are made up of solid rubber. There are actually also solid pneumatic tires which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire kind is perfect to be utilized outside. Cushion tires are best for indoor use and solid pneumatic tires are the best alternative for dangerous work environments where there is potential for standard tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.