It is quite key for several businesses to examine the process of selecting a forklift. Like for example, will your company choose consistently the same model for your warehouse or dock work? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There may be other models existing on the market that provide less fatigue to operators and allow more to get accomplished. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the best machine to meet all your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift units that deal with your specific concerns some of the key factors to consider may comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need an expensive lift truck to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to deal with the job if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough and you do not need to stack loads inside the trailer. Last but not least, you should 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 as the small load wheels must 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 model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Every business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, several forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork associated with the cargo, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it less fatiguing and much quicker to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.