tips on purchasing the right forklift for your needs

Tips On Purchasing The Right Forklift For Your Needs
By Michael Rad

Purchasing industrial trucks and equipment may be a difficult task unless you are a well informed buyer. It’s very easy to over spend and purchase a forklift that has characteristics you will never get to use. Today’s top 5 forklift manufacturers are the Toyota Industries Corporation, KION Group, Jungheinrich, NACCO Industries, Inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, so chances are you will be in the market for one of their products. Here is a look at forklift prices, characteristics and design types that should help you get a clear idea of what kind of forklift will work best for you:

Forklift and industrial truck options

There are several types of industrial machines and forklifts, generally categorized under the following machine types:
Hand pallet truck
Walkie low lift truck
Rider low lift truck
Towing tractor
Walkie stacker
Rider stacker
Reach truck
Electric counterbalanced truck
IC counterbalanced truck
Telescopic handler
Slip Sheet machine
Walkie Order Picking truck
Rider Order Picking truck
Very narrow aisle truck
The cost of the forklift

Once you have decide on the general category into which your desired forklift is found, make sure to shop around before making a purchase. Try to visit a minimum of two or three retailers to be able to get good price comparisons. Also make sure to ask what the full cost will be for the forklift. For example, an internal combustion forklift may start at a price of around $15,000, but depending on what accessories you choose, warranty levels and manufacturer’s brand you can end up paying a lot more than that. Electric forklifts are usually sold in the $20,000 price range, however, you will need to spend a few thousand dollars extra on batteries and battery chargers. If you need a heavy duty forklift - over 35,000 lb - you can expect prices to be in the $100,000 range.

New forklifts too expensive? Try a used one
A used 5,000 pound forklifts can be bought for about $10,000, more if it is in excellent condition. Of course, the risks of purchasing used forklifts are also proportionally higher. Make sure to determine your hourly operating costs before purchasing a used forklift. If you plan to use the forklift on a daily basis for 4-6 hours, you may loose more money due to maintenance and breakdowns than if you bought it new. Other elements you should look at when determining the hourly operating costs include the extra supplies and the fuel cost, plus the wage of the forklift operator. Leasing forklifts is yet another option, many investors preferring to lease equipment because they get full warranty for the duration of the lease. For complete information on purchasing new or used forklifts, please see the links below.

For more forklift resources and some excellent forklift articles, please visit Best-fork-lifts.com .

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