Renting a forklift instead of purchasing a fleet is often a great way to save money, as not only is it cheaper, but you’ll also be acquiring a fully-serviced top of the range model ready for your next big job. However, renting the correct type of forklift requires a little bit of effort on your part, taking into consideration a variety of factors before making your choice.
Lifting and Reaching Capabilities
If you hire a truck which can only just lift the items you need to move it will take you longer and risk the safety of your driver. As well as the maximum lift capacity you also need to consider if this limit reduces beyond a certain level, and if so, will this affect the task at hand? You should also measure accurately what height you will be required to lift from, and at what height are you going to be depositing your load.
Manoeuvrability
It’s no good hiring a forklift if you can’t even access the material you need to move. If you’ll be working in a tight space then you may want to err on the side of caution and hire a slimmer model, as this ensures your driver will be able to move around the warehouse with confidence. You should also consider whether certain features, such as a swinging fork or scissor lift may be required, whilst also taking note of any potential difficulties you may have traversing your chosen terrain. Are you more likely to be outside more than in? Does your work area have any steep inclines? All of these factors will affect the type of lift truck most suitable for you.
Power Source
If you are working in a tight, indoor location you probably don’t want your workforce to be overcome with diesel exhaust fumes, so a motor-based truck is clearly out of the question. Here you’ll want to use a battery powered machine, but then you’ll need to consider how long the truck will stay charged for, and what your options are for recharging. Alternatively, if you’re going to be working outside a lot, an engine-based truck is probably a better bet, as long as you once more consider how you will refuel the forklift, and where this fuel will be stored.
Transporting The Truck
Will your rental company deliver your truck or must you acquire it yourself? Also, once you have the truck in your possession will you require additional equipment to move it into place or transport it to your working site? Just because you can drive a forklift around does not mean it can be easily manoeuvred into position – forklifts are heavy pieces of equipment, so make sure you take this into consideration.
Driver Comfort
A more comfortable driver is a more efficient driver, so by choosing a model with a better ergonomic design you’ll likely see them get the job done quicker. Has the driver got everything they need within this truck to do the job? Are they familiar with the controls of this model? Ensuring the answer to these questions is yes means a far more productive use of your workers’ time, and subsequently leads to a much shorter period of hire.
So those are just a few tips on what you should be looking out for the next time you rent a forklift truck. Making up a job specification sheet is a handy way to keep all these considerations in one single place, allowing you to simply hand over a piece of paper and have all your forklift requirements taken care of.
H&F Lift Trucks
