It is important to find out the operating hours that a used forklift has accumulated over the years. This figure is equivalent to a car’s mileage and thus is similarly likely to affect the cost of future maintenance and servicing.
If a forklift operates non-stop for one hour, it is roughly equivalent to a car doing 30 miles. A forklift would have to operate for about 3,000 hours to do the car equivalent of 100,000 miles, the point at which a vehicle is considered “old”. Of course, buying a forklift with a lot of operational hours is fine, as long as it is adequately represented in its price and you know what you are getting!
This is for those who are looking to buy a second-hand electric forklift. A lot of the value of an electric truck is down to the battery; therefore, you need to make sure that it is in working order.
To find out what condition the battery is in, you need to know its run time. The average battery will have around 1200 charges. Each charge will last roughly 5 hours of operational time, and so if you divide the operational hours of the forklift by 5, you can estimate how many charges the vehicle will have left.
All forklifts should have a rating plate. This crucial feature provides the operator with information on how much weight the forklift can carry and is thus critical for your workplace safety. The subsequent question you should also ask yourself is: is it suitable for the job?
The load capacity of the forklift should be higher than the highest workload that you will need it for so that there are no questions surrounding safety.
The warranty is arguably the most important document you will have when purchasing a second-hand truck. Ensure that you have a good length on it and examine what the warranty covers and excludes.
Other relevant documents include the Certificate of Thorough Examination, the name given to the mandatory inspection to check that the mechanical parts of a forklift are in full working order. This document is a legal requirement and guarantees that the vehicle is compliant with (current) regulations. Importantly, this examination does not cover everything, so you should not exclusively rely on it. If you have any reservations about the truck, consider requesting an independent inspection.
If you are looking to buy a used forklift, check out our high-quality range of second-hand L.P. gas, diesel, and electric trucks.
When Is It Time to Replace Your Forklift?