It is quite important for several companies to examine the process of choosing a lift truck. For example, will your company choose consistently the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There can be various other models on the market that enable more to get done as they offer less fatigue to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the best equipment to meet your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift units that address your particular concerns several of the important factors to consider can comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't require an expensive lift truck to complete tasks 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 will be able to handle the job if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is enough and you are not required to stack loads in the trailer. Last of all, you have to think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels should 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 model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door easily. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, some forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork connected with the cargo, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it less fatiguing and a lot quicker to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.