There are times it pays to examine the process of selecting a forklift. Like for instance, does your business always choose the same models for your dock work? If so, you could potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There might be various other units existing on the market which offer less exhaustion to operators and enable more to get done. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the best equipment to suit all of your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you can drastically increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to consider when determining forklift units which deal with specific problems comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few semi-trailers or box trucks a week, then you probably won't need a pricey forklift to accomplish the job. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie model will be able to deal with the job if: You do not need to stack loads in the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough. Last but not least, you must consider 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 always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control will 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 offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Every company has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, several forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it much faster and less tiring to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.