It is quite important for several businesses to examine the process of selecting a lift truck. Like for instance, would your business select consistently the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more effective forklift. There may be various other units on the market that offer less exhaustion to operators and enable more to get done. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some evaluation and research, you can determine if you have the best machine to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
Several of the important factors to think about when determining forklift models which address specific concerns include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department only loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week, then you probably won't require a pricey lift truck to accomplish the tasks. An inexpensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to deal with the job if: You do not need to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is sufficient. 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 must travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always 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 easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Some lift truck operators would usually load and unload goods in the shipping department along with storing things on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Generally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it much quicker and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.