Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there can be many factors to take into consideration since this decision can impact a lot of things such as productivity, operating expenses, machine downtime, and even worker morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a brand new or used forklift, the following is a short list of things to take into account. There can be several particular questions the sales consultant must address to be able to help you select the best alternative which is most suitable for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Making the time to identify your needs will help ensure that you can find a capable machinery. What size are your typical loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day will you be using this machine? Will you be running the machinery indoors or outdoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to go through? Correctly answering these questions would ensure you are happy with the unit you choose.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Lift Trucks
You may want to buy a brand new unit of lift truck if you are planning to utilize your forklift for more than 4 hours a day. The warranty benefits alone will come in handy. A second-hand option would probably be enough for light duty and infrequent applications.
Step 3: Fuel Options
The large electric forklift batteries will allow the lift truck to run for around 8 hours. These specific power sources make lift trucks uniquely suited for indoor application because they generate no harmful emissions. Although electric units are normally more pricey compared to various other types of lift trucks, they have lower operating expenses. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to take into account. Moreover, these machines have fewer moving components so they have a longer life span as they have less components to get worn down.
Amongst the disadvantages of the battery operated forklifts is that they need battery recharging stations and this could take about 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours needed for cooling. Recent innovations have made their way onto the market so as 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 which are a combination of the two. The pneumatic tire kind is best suited for outside use. Cushion tires are perfect for indoor applications and solid pneumatic tires are the perfect alternative for hazardous work environments where there is potential for standard tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.