Forklifts come in many variations from large diesel forklifts capable of lifting 45 tons to order pickers that only have a capacity of 0.85 tons – and a lot in between.
Selecting the correct for forklift for your application is of course crucial. Questions that need to be answered beforehand include: what is the weight of the load that needs to be lifted, how high does it need to be lifted, are there aisles that it has to travel down, how wide are these aisles, is the forklift only going to work inside the building, what are the dimensions of the load, is the product being moved very fragile, what does the floor surface look like, and so it goes on. Make sure that whoever is advising you has adequate knowledge and experience – some might want to advise you based on the commission they could earn, or on moving slow stock at your expense.
Depending on the application, one particular derivative which is sometimes overlooked is a three-wheeler (as it is commonly known). It is a battery powered counter balanced forklift with its two rear wheels very close to each other. At first glance it may look as if it only has three wheels i.e. two in the front and “one” in the rear – the rear “wheel” is fact two wheels.
The benefit of this 3-wheeler is the that it can turn very sharp and is compact by design. It will lift the same load as its 4 wheeled counterpart but will be able to operate in tighter spaces. Some people are sceptical of having only “three” wheels as it may look unstable – this is however not true, as the triangular design is just as stable with the load being over the two front wheels.
Certainly an option to consider in the correct application.
