When a well-maintained forklift fleet needs to be replaced at some point in time. Knowing exactly when can be a difficult thing to ascertain. Industry averages reveal that somewhere between 8,000 hours and 10,000 hours of use is when you’re going to reach an optimal point to replace your forklifts. Some questions to ask to help determine if it is time include:
The not-so-obvious costs associated with worn forklifts is downtime, lost productivity and the short-term cost of replacing them with rentals. These costs may not show up on a unit’s cost per hour, but they are costs nonetheless. Keeping count of rentals due to downtime and repairs is essential in determining replacement, as new forklifts will all but eliminate your rentals due to downtime.
There are other reasons that may eliminate the guesswork and actually require you to replace your aging fleet:
Another reason to consider updating your forklift fleet are improvements in technology, hardware or performance. For example, now that electric forklifts have become more powerful and reliable outdoors, it could be a great time to consider replacing your IC forklifts.
As you can see, looking at the hour meter is not the sole solution that it used to be to consider replacement. We would be glad to consult with you to assess your fleet condition and help you determine if now is a good time to consider your forklift fleet retirement or replacement. Just give us a call at 631-661-5050 (Long Island) or 718-298-5270 (NYC).