Why Purchase Forklifts When You Can Hire Them

Although most of us are familiar with forklifts, few of us know that this vehicle with a prolonged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads was first invented in the year 1917. During those days, it was known as "tructractor." Since then different types of forklifts have made their appearance. These vehicles have revolutionised the shipping, transportation, and storage of goods in various workplaces such as dockyards, recycling facilities, construction sites, and warehouses. Forklifts are the lifeline of the logistics industry and they use them largely to move pallets from one location to the other. Like any other vehicles, these lift trucks also require maintenance. No matter how carefully one uses them, they will start malfunctioning one day or the other. On such occasions, owners of these vehicles require the help of companies that specialise in forklift maintenance.

The most popular types of forklifts available on the market today include:

- Walkie stacker

- Pallet jack

- Warehouse forklift

- Rough terrain forklift

- Side loader

- Industrial forklift

- Telehandler

- Counterbalance forklift

Uses in the logistics industry

The logistics industry relies heavily on these self-propelled machines for hoisting and transporting heavy objects using steel fingers inserted under the load. Typically, the goods are first placed atop a pallet, which is lifted by the forklifted and placed on different parts of steel racks. The small-sized forklift is extremely versatile as it can easily navigate through narrow aisles of warehouses either to deposit packages atop the shelves or to retrieve cartons from the shelves. The staff of the warehouse place goods arriving via land, air, or sea on a truck with the help of cranes and then transported them to the warehouse. Over there the staffs of the warehouse unload the goods from the trucks with the help of forklifts and place them on their respective place on the racks. The process is reversed when the packages have to be taken down from the racks before they can be delivered to their destination with the help of delivery vans.

Maintenance and preventive measures

A forklift used for heavy-duty purposes needs maintenance once every three months on average. You can take these precautionary steps to maintain them and ensure that they work for longer periods:

- Follow the recommended maintenance schedule of the manufacturer

- Inspect the vehicle daily, as it provides you with an option to identify potential problems and fix them before they get out of hand. Check the following:1. Performance of brakes 2. Tire condition and pressure 3. Forks and overhead guards 4. Fluid levels 5. Seat belt functionâ€¢ Check the tires of the forklift regularly

- Clean the vehicles once every week

- Deal with any issues as soon as they arise

- Sign up for a comprehensive annual forklift maintenance plan

forklifts for hire

If you do not wish to be bothered with forklift maintenance, you can hire these vehicles too. Expect to pay upwards of Â£27 per week for hiring forklifts. The price depends on the size and the type of vehicle you want.