Article by Brian Fitch

Wear and tear is believed to be a normal part of the life span of heavy duty machines. Forklift trucks are meant to be used for heavy duty and tough tasks. And generally these forklift trucks do have a pretty long life span compared to other vehicles. But the life span can be increased reasonably by taking proper care and servicing and changing the parts that have undergone damage.

How to avoid the cost of a new forklift.

Wearing out of parts: When parts of the forklift truck wear out, they should be immediately replaced to avoid the cost of a new forklift. But before that, one has to understand the problems of the vehicle first with proper details. There are also some options available that can be considered in case of a wearing out forklift truck. For example, if the major fork part has undergone damage one can opt for after market forklift parts. These can be better than the regular forks and are more rugged. They are built with high resistant heels with longer life. They can be fitted in a wide range of models and makes of forklift trucks. There are some other forks available called Plant Forks, that are designed to accommodate some specific models of forklift trucks. They are available in different lengths to suit the desired purpose properly.

Extended forks: If the truck requires telescoping extended forks, Menutel G2 can be considered for that. These sets can be attached or removed from the forklift forks easily. With these sets, one is assured to have the fork extensions within the legally permissible limits. There are some special cases where forklift trucks are operated in areas that should be kept spark free. Such areas may be explosive prone environments where various chemicals, explosives, flammable paints etc. are handled. In such operational areas, stainless steel clad forks are best suited. Stainless steel forks are also best suited in such activities where hygienic processes like food preparations, medicine manufacturing etc. are carried out.  If you are considering buying a new forklift you should think about various forklift attachments to extend the life of your new forklift.

Construction fields: While considering extreme rugged and heavy load operations like cement bags or concrete blocks lifting in large amounts, ITA class 2 as well as class 3 block forks are most suited. Such forks have a concave radius and extended tube for functioning in some specific tasks. These types of forklift trucks are specially designed to function in construction fields where speed of performance of forklift trucks exponentially increases job productivity. Also there are some tapered and blunt forks available. When the forklift truck has to insert its forks into spaces in pallets, tapered forks can be opted for easy lifting. Blunt end forks are also available to handle and lift products where chances are there in puncturing a product or a container because of the forks’ pointed ends.

Finally it can be said that it is not the time factor that decides forklifts replacements. It is the use and quality of maintenance of forklifts and also the purpose to use them that actually matters most.

Proper use and maintenance of forklift trucks determine when it is time for a new forklift.