Choosing a Fork Lift Truck
Choose the right fork lift truck for your operation
Fork lift trucks handle your workload in warehousing, transport, assembly line and construction situations. Used properly, the fork truck maximizes cubic footage of your warehouse, speeds up the process of transporting goods and materials through your production process and minimizes labor hours otherwise spent inefficiently breaking down and moving packed goods.There is a fork lift truck for nearly every material handling need. One fork lift truck hauls literally tons of materials every time you use it, placing it in overhead space otherwise inaccessible and wasted, freeing up floor space for production or assembly. The industry classifies fork lift trucks based on power source (electric versus fossil fuel) as well as size and load capacity:
1. Classes I through III operate by electric power and are configured as ride-on (class I), narrow-aisle (class II) or walk-behind (class III).
2. Class IV fork trucks use fossil fuels, typically propane or natural gas, and run on solid tires.
3. Class V typically fire on gasoline or diesel and ride on pneumatic tires.
Employ a Class I-III fork lift truck provider for lighter, tighter duties
If you literally run a tight ship, either with close quarters or with the need to breathe, buy an electric powered fork lift to handle materials without worrying about exhaust fumes or the additional expense of procuring fossil fuel.
Try: Raymond produces a full line of electric fork lift trucks, including pallet jacks, walk-behinds and three-wheel trucks for a smaller turning radius. Or, look at one of four narrow-aisle lift trucks from Yale Materials Handling to fit your particular material handling needs.
Move up the fork lift truck class chart for more demanding loads
For longer shifts, larger warehouses or faster loading or assembly times, look at Class IV fork trucks to supply a CNG or LP powered truck. They're powerful enough to run harder than the lower classes, but with LPG or CNG, they'll burn cleaner than gasoline or diesel, and generally are small enough to be easily maneuverable indoors.
Try: The Mitsubishi fleet of fork lift trucks includes class IV’s that lift between 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 tons. Komatsu has produced quality fork lift trucks since 1945.
Tackle the heaviest loads with the highest class fork lift trucks
Class V fork lift trucks with their internal combustion engines power through multi-ton load lifts. Their pneumatic tires not only offer their operator some shock absorption, they provide better traction to maneuver over the floor whether it's a large-scale warehouse or a shipyard.
Try: TCM produces a line of diesel engine fork lift trucks that handle up to 10 tons. Hyster manufactures forklift trucks that can stack shipping containers weighing as much as 40 tons five high. Use their product selection tool to narrow down the right fork lift truck for your materials handling operation.
- Think through your materials handling needs and sift through OEM fork lift truck information, focusing primarily on lift capacity (how much tonnage it can load) and stroke (how high the lift can rise). There is even a special classification of off-road or rough-terrain fork lift truck to include on your fork lift truck list if you run a lumber yard or commercial construction company.
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