As much as we want to say forklifts are sexy, forklifts really are a business tool. Forklifts are designed to do a function and forklift hire is no different, instead of outlaying your capital and buying a forklift.
You have another option and that is to think about forklift hire and paying a fixed rate per day or week, instead of buying a forklift outright. That’s right you get to leave your hard earned capital in the bank.
Here are the 6 most common things you need to consider when hiring a forklift.
Length of Time of hire
If you are looking to hire a forklift, you need to be very clear on the length of time you will be hiring it for. If it is a short time (generally under 12 months) or a long time (over 12 months up to 7 years), can really change the price of forklift rental you will be paying.
It can also decide whether the forklift you will be hiring is a new forklift or if it has some years on it.
The Application You Will Be Working In
Always a big thing to look at when considering forklift hire. When talking to a forklift rental business, they will ask you about the application it will be working in.
- Is it clean ?
- Is it a dirty ?
- Is there hazards ?
If it’s a building site, you can expect to pay more than if the same forklift is working in a clean warehouse on concrete floors.
Can you Expect Service/Back-up
As in any industry there are pirates, you know what we are saying the types of service businesses, that once they have your money you never hear from them again.
When you call them because the forklift you are hiring has broken down, they take a week to turn up and repair the forklift.
Make sure you are dealing with a reputable forklift business, unfortunately there still are plenty of shady back yard businesses out there.
How Many Hows Per Week – Utilization
Forklift utilization is all about how many hours will it be doing. If you are only using it a few hours a week, then you can expect to pay less.
However, if you are wanting to operate it multiple shifts per day, 7 days per week. You can and should expect to pay a lot more.
How much will I have to pay
That really is affected by the above points, forklifts are an expensive outlay of capital, especially for a business that specializes in forklift hire. So you can expect to pay a rental fee that really is commensurate with the forklift you are hiring.
But as always you should shop it around for the best price you can get. After all its your money that you are parting with.
Does a forklift brand really matter ?
That’s a funny question, as long term people in the materials handling industry. We know the “reputable” brands from the “less then reputable” brands.
Considering the factors above, if you are looking to hire a forklift for a short time, its probably not that much of a issue.
If you are looking to hire a forklift of 5 years in your business. We always suggest getting a demonstration of the forklift on your site.
Forklift dealers will generally be keen to demonstrate their forklift on site and usually free of charge. Then it’s best to let your operators trial the forklift and give you feedback.
If you think about it like a car, do you prefer driving a Mazda or a Hyundai ? They both have plenty of features and benefits, but both cars will get you to where you want to go.
Always remember that a forklift is a tool to be used, and forklift hire is no different, you need to think about the above, and the requirements that you have for your business.
