Purchasing used fork lift trucks

Posted on July 12, 2010 | Category: Automotive Trivia, Business Trivia

Used electric pallet jacks can be a bargain compared to purchasing new forklifts.  Forklifts are also known as trailer loaders, stacker trucks, tow -motors, and fork hoists. Electric pallet jacks have a lifting capacity between one and 5 tons.  The lead batteries in the back of the unit act as a counterweight to prevent the forklift from tipping over.

Used and refurbished electric forklift trucks can be financed or leased to minimize the impact on your cash flow. You can do this through your bank, or through a third party leasing company. The forklifts are similar to other types of capital equipment and maybe expensed on your P&L sheet. Consult your accountant to understand the benefits of leasing capital equipment.

Search for pallet jacks that offer warrantees and or preventative maintenance agreements. Many pallet jacks are treated very roughly in the course of normal everyday handling. These machines are constantly being used to move large amounts of physical goods from point a to point B. Wear and tear is a normal occurrence on forklift units.

Common replacement pallet jack parts include hydraulic units, pallet jack wheels, and batteries. You can perform your own maintenance if you wish to save money. This can be assigned to your warehouse foreman, or other warehouse supervisory staff members.

Depending on your physical warehouse, you may want to find a forklift unit which has extra attachments such as side shifters, rotators and pole attachments. If you have narrow aisles you may also want to consider purchasing a narrow width pallet truck. This is much simpler than having to maneuver your pallet jack vehicle in tight confined spaces.

Used forklifts can be purchased directly from the companies which use them, or you may use a broker/wholesaler. If you can manage to skip the middleman, you will be able to save yourself at least 20% on the purchase of a used fork lift truck.

» Filed Under Automotive Trivia, Business Trivia

Leave a Reply