The many factors essential for choosing the right forklift
For material handling in warehouses and at construction sites, different types of forklifts are used. However, the type of forklift depends on various aspects, mainly related to the topography and location. The factors that are important for buying a forklift are as follows:
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The quantity of materials the machine has to lift, that is the weight of the materials handled is an essential thing to keep in mind.
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The type of worksite is to be considered. Whether the forklift needs to carry weight over relatively long distances, or it has to maneuver through tight spaces between shelves and pallets, this must be kept in mind.
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What kind of terrain the forklift will be driven on needs to be considered.
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Cost of OEM or aftermarket parts, such as forklift transmission, tires, body panels, etc. should be considered.
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Whether it is better to manually drive it or go for an electrically driven automated one is another thing to be kept in view.
Based on the above factors, forklifts arrive in various types.
The various types of Forklifts:
- Pallet Jack and the Walkie Stacker
Forklifts can start from lightweight, easily handled and flexible ones that glide between the pallets and shelves. Such types of forklifts come in two forms: the pallet jacks and the Walkie stackers. While the pallet jack operates from a lower height and helps in lifting weight in and out of the pallet, the walkie stacker lifts the weights from the pallet that are situated at a height. Both are very flexible and used in small and medium industries and logistic divisions of organizations.
- Order Picker and Reach Fork Truck
When in a warehouse the containers are kept at a considerable height, and the pallet is at a higher altitude, the order picker does what normally the pallet jack would have done from a lower height. The speciality is the ability to extend beyond the normal heights. Reach Fork Truck can reach the farthest height of thirty-five feet.
- The side loader
This forklift has compartments at its side which it uses for lifting materials. These are normally used to lift up heavy material like timber, drums, pipes, and so on.
- Counterbalance forklift
As the name goes, this forklift can lift weight both on front and back and the weight is counterbalanced. Normally, these are used in warehouses to move materials from one place to another. These forklifts are quite flexible to use.
- The Telehandler
Have you ever seen a forklift lifting weight to a great height with its long, extended arm? If you have, know that it is called the telehandler. These are used to place materials at great heights. They get their name as the extended arm can shut and extend like a telescope as per the need to access high-rise shelves.
- The Industrial forklift
This is the giant forklift that has the capacity of lifting heavy weight and having an extended arm like the telehandler. These are used in heavy industries and construction sites. It is important that all the attachments of this machine work properly to give it the maximum leverage. The recent industrial forklifts can lift more than 35000 lbs of weight at a go.
Conclusion
Forklifts are of various types as has been enumerated here. It is necessary that you know the various types before you decide to buy one.