Equipment Focus: Forklifts

In the market for a forklift? This guide can help you ask the right questions and make the best choice.

By Kent Kiser

Kent Kiser is associate publisher and editor of Scrap.

Buying a forklift would be easy if there were only one type. That’s not the case, of course. Today, more than 23 manufacturers offer a dizzying array of forklifts—also called lift trucks—suitable for work in scrap processing operations. There are electric and internal-combustion models with multiple fuel options, three-wheel and four-wheel versions, rough-terrain units, several choices of tires, a vast range of lifting capacities, and—lest we forget—a slew of bells and whistles. Given this confusing wealth of choices, how do you decide which forklift to buy? Here’s some guidance.

The Selection Criteria
If you’re devoted to a particular brand of forklift, that eliminates at least one decision for you. While some scrap recyclers have used only one brand for years, others—such as Joel Denbo of Tennessee Valley Recycling L.L.C. (Decatur, Ala.)—say they’re gradually replacing their mixed-brand forklift fleets with one brand to unify their parts inventory, streamline maintenance efforts, standardize operator training, and more.
   Most processors, however, aren’t dedicated to one forklift brand, which means they have to choose among the many manufacturers (see “The Lift-Truck List” on page 60). Overall, “most of the brands out there are good, so it’s not like you’re going to make a bad choice,” says Mitch Davis of Midland Davis Corp. (Moline, Ill.).
   The challenge, though, is to find the forklift that best matches your needs—and that can require some shopping around. Davis compares the process to buying a new car, asserting, “I’m not going to go to only one dealer. I’ll check prices with two or three. I always look around.”
   To get started, you have to decide which forklift brands you’re interested in. Then you have to call their local/regional dealers to discuss your requirements and, ideally, invite them to visit your operation.
   To help you, the dealer will need answers to basic questions such as: Do you want a new or used unit? Are you buying or leasing? Where will the forklift be used? How many hours a day will it operate? What materials will it handle? How much weight will it need to lift? How high will it need to lift material? Will the forklift be used to load trailers? Are there any space limitations in the workplace such as tight doorways or aisles, or is the workplace excessively dusty, damp, hot, and so on? “The more you tell them, the better off you’ll be,” says one forklift vendor.
   The answers to the above questions will (1) determine if the dealer has a forklift that can meet your needs and (2) help you decide the following basic points:
   Electric or Internal Combustion? Forklifts can be divided into two broad categories based on their power source—electricity or internal combustion (IC). Which power source you choose could depend on the power or fuel sources available to you and the cost of such sources in your area.
   An advantage of electrics is that they generate no exhaust, which makes them ideal for indoor operations. While electrics can match IC forklifts in most performance areas, they’re generally not used for lifting tasks exceeding 12,000 pounds because, as an electric forklift’s capacity increases, so must the size of its battery, notes Fred Mallett, manager of product development for Cat Lift Trucks (Houston). As a result, while it is possible to make electric forklifts with high lifting capacities, most high-capacity lift trucks are powered by diesel or gasoline.
   Electrics also require operators to be more vigilant in terms of tracking the battery’s status and recharging and/or replacing the battery as necessary. “You’ve got to be schooled and disciplined to operate electrics,” states one forklift dealer. “If you’re not prepared to invest some effort into it, then you’re fooling yourself.”
   While recharging an electric forklift’s battery can take eight hours, there’s always the option of installing a fresh battery while you charge the spent one. Of course, that means you must buy the replacement battery and have it on hand, but that cost can be worth it in terms of increased productivity and uptime. Speaking of cost, the general rule is that electric forklifts have a higher sticker price than IC forklifts ($3,000 to $5,000 more in general, according to one vendor) but a lower per-hour operating cost in the long run.
   IC forklifts—which cost less upfront than electrics but more in terms of ongoing operation—can be powered by different fuels, including liquid-propane (LP) gas, gasoline, diesel, and compressed natural gas. Among these choices, LP gas is best for indoor work since it burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel and, thus, doesn’t generate potentially worrisome emissions. That said, the electronically controlled fuel systems and catalytic converters in newer gas and diesel forklifts are minimizing their related emissions concerns, says Mallett. Perhaps the biggest advantage of LP gas is its convenience—when one LP gas cylinder becomes empty, you need only pop it off and replace it with a full one. Also, most LP-gas vendors will pick up your empty tanks when they deliver new ones, saving you the cost, hassle, and potential dangers of storing fuel as you’d have to do if using gasoline or diesel.
   Aside from these advantages, LP gas does have at least one drawback—it delivers 10 percent less engine output in terms of horsepower than gas or diesel engines, Mallett notes.
   Gasoline and diesel forklifts are more appropriate for outdoor operations—or covered operations with open sides—with diesel being the most common fuel in lift trucks with high-end lifting capacity.
   Compressed natural gas, meanwhile, is a cost-effective and clean fuel, but it operates under very high pressure and comes in a heavy, thick tank that must be recharged while on the truck. Also, the recharging unit is reportedly large and expensive, plus the recharging process can take about eight hours, which can limit productivity.
   Which Type of Tires? When selecting a forklift, your two basic tire choices are pneumatic (air-filled) or cushion (solid). The general rule is that pneumatic tires are best for outdoor use while cushion tires are best for indoor environments with hard, level surfaces. Scrap processors—especially metal recyclers—favor cushion/solid tires to minimize the potential for and costs of flat tires.
   It’s important to note that there is a difference between cushion and solid tires. Cushion tires are low-profile (or thin-depth) solid tires that enhance a forklift’s stability compared with pneumatics but that—despite their name—don’t provide much of cushioned ride. Solid “soft-ride” tires, in contrast, are high-profile solid tires that provide a more comfortable ride thanks to their thicker depth of rubber.
   Some scrap processors—such as Joel Denbo of Tennessee Valley Recycling—install solid soft-ride tires on pneumatic-type forklifts, which tend to have larger wheels (at least in the front) and higher ground clearance. By doing this, the recyclers create a forklift that boasts a comfortable ride, durable tires for any scrap conditions, and higher ground clearance.
   How Much Lifting Capacity? You can buy forklifts with lifting capacities from less than 1,000 pounds to more than 40,000 pounds. The capacity you need obviously depends on the lifting tasks the forklift will do in your operation. Castriota Metals & Recycling Inc. (Pittsburgh) has two forklifts that can lift up to 5,000 pounds, which is adequate for tasks such as moving gaylords, dumping containers, loading trailers, and so on. The seven forklifts at Utah Metal Works Inc. (Salt Lake City), in contrast, have capacities from 4,000 to 10,000 pounds, while Tennessee Valley Recycling’s forklift fleet is largely made up of units that can lift a minimum of 8,000 pounds, with a couple of higher-capacity models able to lift up to 10,000 and 20,000 pounds.
   Obviously, the goal is to avoid significantly underestimating or overestimating the lifting capacity you need. When buying a forklift, Joel Denbo recommends choosing the next-larger model so that “you’re not overloading the machine all the time.”

The Cost Question
Once you’ve resolved the above issues, you can begin to talk cost. Same as shopping for a car, expect different forklift dealers to quote different prices for a forklift with the same basic specifications. Mitch Davis, for one, has found that such price quotes—though different—tend to be within 10 percent of each other.
   Of course, adding any special features will boost the cost. Many scrap processors, for instance, equip their forklifts with a “squeeze-and-turn” feature that enables the forks to clamp containers from the sides and rotate to dump them. “That feature really makes life easy,” says Randy Castriota of Castriota Metals. “It’s like having an extra employee.” On the downside, this feature adds thousands of dollars to the basic cost of the forklift. A forklift’s sticker price, however, is far from its real cost. To determine the overall cost of a forklift, you have to take into account its maintenance costs (both preventive and long-term), fuel costs (such as hours of operation per gallon for IC units), operator costs, ownership costs (such as interest and depreciation), training costs, and more. Of these, “the most expensive element is the operator himself,” says Mallett. “He can represent up to 50 percent of the cost of operating a lift truck.” Most dealers and/or manufacturers can help you calculate such costs, so don’t hesitate to ask.
   While price considerations can certainly be a deciding factor in your forklift search, they shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
   Another essential factor is operator comfort. Today’s forklifts offer more ergonomic features to minimize operator fatigue and increase both productivity and safety. It’s especially important for your forklift operators to feel comfortable with any new forklift your choose, so it’s a good idea to allow them to “test-drive” the models under consideration. Ask various dealers to provide an on-site demo of their forklifts to help you—and your operators—decide which unit is best.
   Delivery time—how fast the dealer can get the forklift to you—could be another critical point for you, especially if you need a quick replacement or have procrastinated in making your buying decision. Mitch Davis speaks for many recyclers when he says, “Generally we don’t think about getting a new forklift until we need it.” In such cases, quick delivery can make a huge difference. Most dealers, in fact, know which forklifts are their top sellers and maintain those in stock for immediate delivery. One vendor, for instance, says he always has LP-gas units with 5,000-pound lifting capacity on hand and ready to go. Less-common models—such as those with high-end lifting capacity—and special orders will likely have longer delivery times, with 12 weeks or more not uncommon. In the end, perhaps the most important factor is your comfort level with the forklift dealer and its ability to meet your service needs. Ask yourself: How long has the dealer been in business? Does the dealer maintain adequate parts inventory? Does it employ enough service personnel? Can the dealer provide safety training to help you meet the required OSHA forklift rules? Can it supply a rental replacement forklift if yours must be in the shop for an extended period?
   As part of your dealer-review process, make sure you compare warranties offered by the different dealers/manufacturers. It’s also prudent to visit each dealer’s operation (which will tell you a lot) and to request—and call—the dealer’s references. 

The Lift-Truck List
Here’s a list of select manufacturers that offer sit-down, counterbalanced forklifts:
Case Construction Equipment, www.casece.com
Cat Lift Trucks, 800/228-5438 or 713/365-1000, www.cat-lift.com 
Clark Material Handling Co., 866/252-5275 or 859/422-6506, www.clarkmhc.com 
Crown Corp., 419/629-2311, www.crown.com 
Daewoo Heavy Industries America Corp., 216/595-1212, www.dhiac.com 
Drexel Industries L.L.C., 215/672-2200, www.drexeltrucks.com 
Hyster Co., 800/497-8371, www.hysterusa.com 
Hyundai Forklift USA, 800/423-8721, www.hceusa.com 
Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp., 804/737-6084, www.jungheinrich.com
K-D Manitou Inc., 254/799-0232, www.kdmanitou.com
Kalmar AC Inc., 800/311-8452 or 770/788-3600, www.kalmarac.com 
Komatsu Forklift USA Inc., 888/696-1231 or 770/787-5100, www.kfiusa.com 
Linde Lift Truck Corp., 843/875-8000, www.lindelifttruck.com 
Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, 888/648-5438 or 713/365-1000, www.mit-lift.com 
Nissan Forklift Corp., North America, 815/568-0061, www.nissanforklift.com 
Raymond Corp., 607/656-2311, www.raymondcorp.com 
Royal Tractor, 913/782-2598, www.royaltractor.com 
Sellick Equipment Ltd., 519/738-2255, www.mnsi.net/~sellick 
TCM Manufacturing USA Inc., 803/791-5205, www.tcmforklifts.com
Tailift USA Inc., 214/819-4180, www.tailiftusa.com
Toyota Material Handling USA Inc., 949/474-1135, www.toyotaforklift.com 
Yale Materials Handling Corp., 800/233-9253 or 252/931-5100, www.yale.com•