For anybody determine whether to buy second-hand or brand new lift truck, it is a very big decision when confronted with the purchasing cycle. The best thing to do is to know the application needs for the forklift, when trying to choose between the two options. Like for example, figure out the kind of equipment that is required, the number of hours per year or per week you will utilize it and how long you plan to keep it.
Expensive forklifts would normally hold its value over time. It is good to know that a lower priced brand new forklift may not have the overall value, reliability and ability of a used unit of a higher priced kind.
When deciding whether or not to buy a brand new or used lift truck, there are 3 aspects of usage which you may want to take note of: utilization, duty cycle and seasonality. If you are thinking of using your lift truck for at least 4 hours a day, it is recommended that you purchase a new unit, specially if you will have a high-duty cycle. A high-duty cycle means moving lots of loads per hour which are at or near the capacity truck.
If you only need your lift truck for about 4 hours a day or on an intermittent basis, an inexpensive brand new model or used forklift may be optimal. Several of the newer units are available at lower costs that are manufactured for lower-duty cycles. Additionally, if you think that you would expect to utilize the forklift just during particular times of year on a seasonal basis, then a second-hand lift truck or a rental program may best available choice and could possibly save you lots of money.
It is important to know whether the machine will be in constant use. This will mean knowing the amount of uptime and dependability needed for your particular application.