Even after the rise and explosion of telehandlers on the material handling industry, rough terrain lift trucks and vertical mast lift trucks can be found picking up and moving various items and materials on jobsites all over the world. There have been numerous other conventional lift trucks that lost market share to telehandlers. This occurred especially when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have stabilized. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-emerged and seem to be becoming more popular once more because of their greater production, lower cost and adaptation of certain telehandler-like features.
The straight mast forklift can finish twice the work as a telehandler due to their superior maneuverability and handling as well as their better ground speed. Interestingly enough, rental companies are starting to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Rental purchasers are having major influence within the rough-terrain forklift industry. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast forklifts are now being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are usually driven mostly by utilization, that is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
Within the material handling industry, the telehandler has become the darling new equipment. Its popularity has improved its advantage in the rental market as well. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as productive compared to traditional rough-terrain forklifts for unloading and loading repetitive tasks. This means that even if competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, a lot prefer the RT forklifts which have been working well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is a little slower, ganglier to operate and needs a higher level of skill to finish the task. On the upside, they get the reach if they need it. There would continuously be a place within the business for forklifts though, because there are places which you would not be able to access with a telehandler.
Rough terrain lift trucks are generally compact equipment, smaller but more able to carry a heavier cargo vertically as opposed to the telehandler. Essentially, in order to use the right machinery for your application, you should determine what jobs precisely you will be completing, the type of setting and conditions you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors will help you choose what the best alternatives available are.