It is quite important for some businesses to examine the method of choosing a lift truck. Like for example, will your company select consistently the same model for your warehouse or dock work? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more effective forklift. There can be various other units on the market that provide less exhaustion to operators and allow more to get accomplished. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective way. By doing some evaluation and research, you could determine if you have the best equipment to meet your needs. By reducing operator exhaustion, you could drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to consider when determining forklift models which deal with specific problems include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week, then you probably won't need an expensive forklift to complete the job. A cheaper walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to handle the job if: You are not required to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough. Lastly, you have to 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 your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers however, a stand-up end control unit may 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 forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Some forklift operators would usually load and unload products in the shipping department as well as storing items on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it much faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down kind.