When confronted with the purchasing cycle, it is a huge decision for anyone to choose whether to buy second-hand or new. In terms of buying a forklift and trying to choose between the two options, the best thing to do is know the application needs for the lift truck. For instance, know the type of equipment that is required, the number of hours per year or per week you would use it and how long you intend to keep it.
Higher priced forklifts will typically hold its value over time. It is good to know that an inexpensive new forklift might not have the overall value, reliability and capability of a second-hand unit of a higher priced kind.
When considering a purchase of a new or used lift truck, there are 3 aspects which you must take heed of: utilization, duty cycle and seasonality. If you are thinking of utilizing your lift truck for 4 or more hours a day, it is recommended that you buy a new unit, particularly if you would have a high-duty cycle. A high-duty cycle means moving a lot of loads per hour that are at or near the capacity truck.
However, if you expect to utilize your lift truck for less than 4 hours a day or on an irregular basis, than purchasing a lower cost new unit or a second-hand forklift might be the best option. Some of the newer units are available at lower costs which are made for lower-duty cycles. In addition, if you think that you will expect to use the forklift only during specific times of year on a seasonal basis, then a rental program or a second-hand lift truck might best option available and can possibly save you lots of money.
It is important to anticipate if the lift truck is going to be always used or not. This will mean knowing the amount of uptime and dependability required for your certain application.