Buying Tips
When buying a lift truck, there is certainly many things to take into account as this decision can impact many things like production, operating costs, machine downtime, and even employee morale.
When you are thinking of choosing a new or second-hand forklift, the following is a short list of factors to take into consideration. There can be several specific questions the sales consultant should address in order to help you pick the best alternative which is right for your business.
Step 1: Identify Your Requirements
Making the time to identify your requirements would help ensure that you could find a capable machine. What size are your average loads? Are they 3,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds or even heavier? How many hours each day will you be using this machine? Would you be running the machine indoors or outdoors or potentially both? How wide are your narrowest aisles to travel through? Accurately answering these questions would make certain that you are satisfied with the model you pick.
Step2: Second-hand Vs. Brand new Forklifts
If you are intending to utilize your forklift more than 4 hours per day, you will probably want to buy a brand new unit. The warranty benefits alone would truly be handy. A second-hand option will probably be enough for infrequent applications and light duty.
Step 3: Fuel Options
Usually, the big batteries which power electric forklifts could run for an 8 hour shift. The electric models are best suited for indoor use as they produce no harmful emissions. Even if electric models are generally more expensive than other units, they have lower operating costs. Electric lift trucks are much quieter to run and do not have fuel storage requirements to think about. Additionally, these machines have fewer moving components so they have a longer life span since they have fewer components to get worn down.
Amongst the downsides of the battery operated forklifts is that they require battery recharging posts and this can take about 8 hours. There is an additional 8 hours required for cooling. Recent changes 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
Common lift trucks use cushion tires made up of solid rubber or they would be outfitted with pneumatic or air-filled, inflated tires. Several lift trucks would use a solid pneumatic tires, which is a combination of the two types of tire. The pneumatic tire type is perfect for outdoor use. Cushion tires are great to be used indoors and solid pneumatic tires are the best alternative for dangerous work environments where there is a risk for regular tires being popped by rough terrain or sharp objects.