Sometimes, it pays to examine the process of selecting a forklift. For instance, does your business consistently choose the same models for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There can be different other models on the market that offer less exhaustion to operators and enable more to get accomplished. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some evaluation and research, you could determine if you have the right machine to meet all of your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to consider when determining forklift models which address specific issues include:
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 an expensive forklift to complete the tasks. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider would be able to handle the job if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is adequate and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Lastly, you need to 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 need to travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control unit could make more sense over a walkie model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Several forklift operators will often load and unload goods in the shipping department along with storing things on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Usually, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down type.