Skip to content
When it comes to buying forklifts, there is so much to consider. Whether it’s your first or one of many, with so many options to choose from, buying a forklift can be a minefield.
Forklifts are an essential part of any material handling operation, and need to suit the job in hand and provide reliability and performance to keep your business running smoothly.
So what should be considered to ensure you make the right decision? Here, we break down exactly what to consider before buying a forklift, ensuring you make the right investment.
Step 1 – Determine your requirements
The application is one of the most important things to consider when buying a forklift. Ideally, you want to purchase a machine that has the exact specification of what you need from it – or as near as possible, never under spec. .
So before you do anything else, it’s essential to determine exactly what you’re buying the forklift for. Ask yourself:
- What type of fuel?
- Where will it be used?
- What will it be used for?
- How much will it need to lift?
- How high will it need to lift?
- What is the closed height?
- Is it correct for my site and business?
Step 2 – Choose the truck type
Requirements now determined, you should now be able to decide on exactly what is needed and would work best in the specific application in your operation.
A forklift isn’t just a forklift; in fact, there are many different types for you to choose from. The most common types include:
Counterbalance Forklifts
Counterbalance forklifts are the most recognisable and widely used type in the industry. It lifts loads from the front using forks, with a heavy counterweight built into the rear to offset the load and maintain stability. These are commonly used in yards and warehouses for everything from stacking stock in rackings and unloading/loading in builders yards.
Reach Trucks
Reach trucks are designed for warehouses where a counterbalance won’t fit in the aisles. The forks extend outward to reach into racking, allowing the truck to stay within the aisle while placing or retrieving loads at height.
Pallet Trucks
Pallet trucks are designed specifically for moving palletised loads. They are two different varieties – manual and electric – making easy work of manufacturing light and heavy loads in and out of loading bays, stockrooms, and short-distance transport within a facility or tight area.
Stackers
Stackers are compact, electric machines capable of lifting loads to height for stacking and racking within a smaller footprint. They’re perfect for smaller low use operations looking for cost effective machines for handling lighter loads.
Order Pickers
Order pickers lift the operator alongside the load, allowing individual items to easily pick stock from racking. Commonly distribution centers, they are great in high-volume order fulfilment environments.
VNA Forklifts (Very Narrow Aisle)
VNA forklifts, like the ones from Aislemaster, they can operate in aisles as narrow as 1650MM, giving increased storage space in warehouses. They offer exceptional efficiency whilst working in tight aisles and outside at the same time. An Aislemaster can replace multiple machines because of its versatility. One driver can unload/load a lorry and put it away in the racking. They also provide high lift heights for better space utilisation, up to 50% more storage than with other models of forklift, equipped with the latest advanced software making manoeuvring in small spaces easy.
Multi-Directional Forklifts
Multi-directional forklifts such as Combilift are machines capable of traveling in all directions. They’re particularly useful for handling long loads such as timber, steel, extrusion and pipes, making them common in timber yards, steel stockholders, and UPVC manufacturing facilities.
Step 3 – Consider new or used
Used and new forklifts are both great options, which can make deciding between the two difficult. Each has their advantages which are worth considering before making a final decision. But ultimately, it comes down to which you feel would be best for you and the business. .
New forklifts
If the budget is there, the new is definitely worth considering. Choosing new, you’ll benefit from:
- Warranties
New forklifts come with a manufacturer warranty as standard, meaning should anything go wrong, you’re covered for a set period. These typically run for 1-2 years, though some manufacturers offer cover of up to 3-5 years.
- Latest safety and technology
New trucks often come equipped with the latest safety features and technology. With high spec models, this can include 360-degree steering cameras, and load stability controls – all of which you’re not likely to get with older machines. These not only improve ease of operation but help keep your environment as safe as possible.
- Customisable to exact specifications
When ordering new, you have the ability to configure the machine to your exact requirements. From performance settings and operational preferences to battery capacities for electric models, there’s usually many different configurement options.
- Long-term reliability
With new forklifts, you know exactly what you’re getting. As the first owner, you’ll get full visibility over how the machine is used and maintained from day one. This makes it easier to determine long term reliability and the associated costs for any repairs that may be needed in the future with use.
Used forklifts
Used forklifts can be a smart option, particularly when budget is a concern. While buying used requires more consideration, finding the right machine can offer many benefits.
- Lower upfront cost
Used forklifts cost less to buy upfront than if bought new. For this, you’ll get the same machines that do the same job, but at a lower cost.
- Often available quicker
Used models are often available quickly, as they’re sat there ready to go. There’s no wait for manufacturing, so you can get yourself on a machine relatively quickly.
- Reduced depreciation impact
While used forklifts do depreciate over time, they do so at a slower rate than new machines. Most forklifts see their steepest depreciation in the first few years, after which the rate substantially lowers.
Common mistakes when buying a forklift
Buying forklifts, new or used, there are a number of common mistakes to avoid. As for the most common, it’s choosing a forklift that’s cheap that best fits the budget, rather than considering what is really needed.
Another frequent mistake is underestimating or overspecifying requirements. This usually stems however from not taking the time upfront to properly assess where the forklifts will be used and what it will need to do.
Forklifts play a critical role in keeping operations moving smoothly, so buying a machine that is right for your site and business, and you can rely on is essential. Like any business machinery, forklifts are an investment, and should be treated no different.
Find the right forklifts for your operation
Whether you need one machine to support a small handling operation or multiple trucks across multiple sites as part of a larger fleet, our expert team is here to help you find and buy the right forklifts for your operation.
At Multy Lift, we’ve been trading for over 40 years, supplying high quality material handling equipment, including forklifts. As the Midlands’ leading forklift dealer and an official supplier of new CESAB forklifts and alternative equipment, we supply both new and used machines, with all of our used stock they’re all refurbished to impeccable standards. Our team of mobile engineers provide outstanding levels of servicing and maintenance keeping your downtime to a minimum and up time to a maximum, with a first fix rate of over 98% you can rely on us to keep your machinery running at its best.
Whatever you need, from initial supply to ongoing support, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today.
