A forklift can be a great investment for a warehouse. It can make the workload easier, and more efficient. Rather than spending hours and hours moving equipment manually, whole pallets can be moved at once with the help of a forklift.
Some company’s warehouses are small enough that an investment of a forklift may seem meaningless, however, if the warehouse is busy enough; they can be a great investment. The price will be small enough that the advantages far outweigh the cost. Assess the materials you need to move to help you determine whether you need a forklift in your warehouse.
Driving a Forklift
There are many levels of certification that are necessary for driving a forklift. Before investing, make sure that you and your employees will be able to complete the proper training.
Every forklift functions a little differently from the next one. It is essential to know as much as you can about the forklift before operating it.
- Be acquainted with how much, and what types of material it can lift.
- Examine the front of the lift, to see exactly how and where you will need to lift the pallets.
- Be familiar with the controls, and meter readings. You can find all this information in the operator’s manual before starting the task.
- Make sure the prongs are set to the correct width. This is key for balancing your load, especially the heavier ones.
- Lift the object only as high as it needs to be. If you are transporting it long distances, and need to raise it to a higher shelf later, keep it low to the ground for most of the trip. This will help you keep balance.
If you have never used a forklift in your warehouse before, you may need to rearrange some of the shelves and pathways. Make sure there is enough room to maneuver the forklift without knocking other items over.
Choosing the Right Forklift
Anything that you can place on a pallet can be lifted with a forklift. The question remains as to which strength of forklift you will need in your warehouse, and how to manage the things you need to lift.
If you are lifting things that are smaller, and not even doing the lifting on a daily basis, a walkie forklift may be the best option for you. Instead of a full out forklift, this smaller model requires the operator to stand rather than sit. These can lift less weight, but are much cheaper than others. Even the best of these models have a 6,000-pound capacity. If you need to lift something heavier than that, or reach pallets that are stacked on high shelves, you must invest in a more advanced forklift.
While assessing your warehouse, see if you have a need for a forklift. They can be a great help in many situations. Depending on what you are lifting, you don’t need to get the most expensive models. Make sure your warehouse is ready to use your new forklift.
Cassie Costner works with www.utahforklift.com, a Utah company selling used and new forklifts. Having worked closely with a warehouse, Cassie knows the best methods for assessing the needs of a company and determining whether or not they could use a forklift in their day-to-day proceedings.
Marty Huggins
