Forklifts

Garage Lift Companies Lift Experts

Forklifts are an essential part of the modern day industrial world- seen by young children as something rather cool and by the rest of us as an integral tool for getting jobs done well and one time, forklifts have revolutionised the way we can operate and the way in which we can move things around efficiently. Unlike a lot of the lifts which we look at on this website, forklifts are entirely dependent on the vehicle they are attached to and thus, in comparison to some of the bigger scissor lifts for example, they cannot lift overly large loads without toppling over.

They get their name, rather obviously, from the fork like prongs at the front of the small vehicle which can be lowered and then raised to scoop under and then lift a load which needs to be transported to somewhere else. Whilst these loads cannot be huge, there is still scope for heavy packs of bricks to be moved on building sites or for boxes to be moved in a warehouse. The two places just mentioned, in fact, building sites and warehouses, are where one would be most likely to find a forklift in use.

On building sites they are great because, as they are a vehicle and a lift combined into one, they can cover fairly large distances, on rugged terrain as well, and take with them any heavy bricks or other materials which may be needed- this is work which could not quickly or safely be done by hand and it is not work, on a building site, which could be done by a conventional lift either- the combination of rugged-terrain vehicle and fork-lifting mechanism really is the only solution.

In warehouse situations, the ability to move over large areas quickly, carrying large amounts of products is a really handy way of speeding up service and efficiency and ensuring that any shipments which need to be made can be made quickly.

Fork lift trucks vary in size but, on all of them, the prongs themselves which take the weight of the freight being carried can lift up higher than the actual vehicle and this means that loading from a forklift onto a lorry or similar vehicle is also very easy and this, again, means an increase in efficiency which will obviously lead to an increase in profits. 

If you are wanting some forklift trucks for your business then you are really faced with three different options- you could either buy a new one (which would be a very large financial expense), you could buy a second hand one (which would save you money but could land you with some fairly big maintenance bills not too far down the line) or you could rent one (which is a good idea as a short term solution).

If you don’t normally require a forklift but you have a specific job or are doing some one-off renovation work and you think one could be handy then you should definitely consider renting; it gets you out of the financial worry of having to buy one and also means that, once you have no use for it anymore, it is taken back out of your way.

Clearly, if you are going to invest in a forklift, or maybe more than one, you are going to need some driver; it isn’t simply a case of seeing who can drive a car and then handing them the keys- very specialist training will need to be undergone before you can let them anywhere near the vehicle- they can be incredibly dangerous.

There are so many different things which need to be considered- the front lifting mechanism needs to be operated properly and your drivers need to be aware of details such as how much weight they can safely carry on their size of forklift or how fast they are allowed to drive. We go into some of these problems in the articles below but you should also do your own research.

When you’ve just paid out for some forklifts, going about paying for training may seem like an expense you could really do without but it is something which you need to take seriously- accidents with forklifts can be highly serious if not deadly and thus it is no laughing matter- any staff who use them need to be properly trained.

So, read the articles below and then find yourself a company whom you can enter into discussions with- try and find out about servicing as well as this will become something which is very important further down the line. They aren’t right for every business but, where they are appropriate, forklifts can be a real advantageous addition to any industrial enterprise. So, don your hard hat, get your high-visi jacket and follow us! 

To find a forklift company near you click here, or use our information guide below.

Forklift Information Guide: