It is quite important for several companies to examine the method of selecting a forklift. Like for example, would your company select consistently the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more effective forklift. There might be various other units on the market that enable more to get accomplished because they offer less exhaustion to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective manner. By doing some evaluation and research, you can determine if you have the best machinery to suit your needs. By reducing operator exhaustion, you can drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to think about when determining forklift units that address specific issues consist of:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few semi-trailers or box trucks a week, then you probably won't need an expensive forklift to complete the tasks. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie model would be able to handle the job if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is adequate and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Last but not least, you must think about whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator since the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would make more sense over a walkie model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, some forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork connected with the cargo, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Generally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it less fatiguing and much quicker to exit a stand-up control model, rather than a sit down kind.