Factors to Consider Before Your Rent a Forklift for Your Warehouse Operations
You may want to rent a forklift for your warehouse, because you need additional lifting equipment, but cannot afford a large capital outlay for a cash purchase right now. You may only need the forklift for a short period, because you are experiencing a higher volume of imports than normal. In another instance, you may want to rent a forklift with the intention of eventually purchasing it. Regardless of the reason for not buying, but rather renting, determine the exact forklift requirements for your particular operations and warehouse environment to ensure that you get the right equipment. Below are the main factors to consider before you rent a forklift:
Weight capacity
What is the maximum weight that the unit must carry? What is the average weight? Also, determine the maximum weight-lifting capacity needed.
Lifting Height
What is the maximum height that must be reached? This is normally determined by the shelf heights in the warehouse. What is the average lifting height needed? What is the height it must be able to reach when lifting the average weight, and what height must be reached with the maximum weight as determined previously?
Operating Environment
Where will you use the forklift? Will it be in the warehouse yard or indoors? How much turning space is available indoors? Will you need to use the lift truck in a cold storage environment? Considering the operating environment will help you determine features such as tyre types, power needed, turning ratio, speed of travel, and type of forklift to rent.
Length of Rental Period
The longer you rent, the cheaper the daily rent becomes. Make sure you rent a forklift for the total number of hours it must operate per day and enquire about overtime charges. Compare the rental fee with the instalment for purchasing plus interest. If rental is higher because of the period that you will rent, consider buying a forklift.
Types of Materials
What must be lifted? Which types of pallets must be lifted and how is the stacking arranged in your warehouse? Once you have answers to the above questions, you are ready to request a quote. Be sure to give the information through to the forklift hire company. The consultant will be able to asses which types of forklifts will suit your requirements. Keep in mind that bigger is not always better. You need to rent a forklift that can lift the maximum weight that you have specified, operate in the particular spaces of your warehouse, operate the hours you need per day, meet your safety profiles, and can lift as high as you need with the particular weights specified.
A forklift is not a one-size-fits-all piece of machinery. It is thus essential to answer the above questions to ensure that you rent the right forklift. Electric forklifts are well-suited to the indoor environment and, with the equipment in our range being energy-efficient, low on maintenance, and exceptionally safe to operate, you get equipment that will help boost productivity and lower injury risks in the warehouse setting. The units have long operating times and come with energy monitoring, enabling the operators to know exactly when recharging or battery swops are needed. If you need forklifts that can operate outdoors, handle larger and heavier loads, and can move across the yard, consider the fuel-driven forklifts. Fuel-driven forklifts cannot be operated indoors, because of emissions, but these units are normally power horses for work in the warehouse load yard.
Choosing the Right Supplier
Now that you know which type of forklift to rent, let us consider the importance of renting a forklift from the right supplier. If the supplier does not provide adequate support, does not offer replacement forklifts, and does not have a proven history of high-quality product delivery, even if the forklift you rent is exceptionally cheap, you can expect problems along the way. Rather rent a forklift from a supplier such as Bidvest Forklifts, known for superior quality forklifts from the UniCarriers brand and for superb after-sales service and support.
We have an extensive range of warehouse lifting equipment and can help you select the most appropriate equipment for your particular operating environment, maintenance requirements, safety concerns, productivity needed, weight capacity, lift needs, and material handling capacity.