It is quite key for several businesses to examine the process of choosing a forklift. Like for example, would your company choose always the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more effective forklift. There can be other models existing on the market that offer less fatigue to operators and allow more to get accomplished. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the best machine to suit your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift models that deal with your particular issues several of the important factors to think about could include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need an expensive forklift to accomplish tasks if your shipping and receiving department loads only a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week. An inexpensive walkie unit or walkie-rider will be able to deal with the job if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is adequate and you are not required to stack loads in the trailer. Last of all, you must think about whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator as the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control unit could make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door without difficulty. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, several forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork connected with the cargo, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it less tiring and much faster to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.