It is quite key for several businesses to examine the method of choosing a forklift. Like for example, will your company select always the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There can be other units available on the market that enable more to get accomplished since they provide less fatigue to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the best machinery to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift models that address your particular concerns some of the important factors to consider can include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week, then you probably won't need a pricey lift truck to accomplish the job. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to handle the task if: You are not required to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is enough. Last but not least, you must consider whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door with no trouble. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each business has a slightly different system. Some lift truck operators would often load and unload products in the shipping department along with storing objects on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Usually, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it much quicker and less tiring to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.