It is quite important for several businesses to examine the process of selecting a lift truck. Like for instance, will your company select consistently the same unit for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There might be different other models on the market which provide less exhaustion to operators and allow more to get accomplished. 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 right machine to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
Several of the important factors to think about when determining forklift models which deal with specific problems include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need a pricey forklift to accomplish jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week. A less expensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to handle the task if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is adequate and you do not need to stack loads inside the trailer. Last of all, you have to 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 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 offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, each company has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators will often unload and load goods 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 tasks. Generally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it a lot quicker and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down kind.