For anybody determine whether to buy used or new lift truck, it is a very big decision when confronted with the purchasing cycle. The best thing to do is to figure out the application needs for the lift truck, when trying to decide between the two options. Like for instance, figure out the kind of equipment which is required, how long you plan to keep it and how many hours per year or per week you will utilize it.
Typically, an expensive forklift would hold its value longer over time. It is good to remember that an inexpensive new forklift may not have the overall ability, value or reliability of a second-hand unit of an expensive model.
When deciding whether or not to buy a new or second-hand lift truck, there are 3 aspects of usage which you might want to take note of: duty cycle, seasonality and utilization. If you are thinking of utilizing your lift truck for at least 4 hours per day, it is recommended that you buy a new model, particularly if you will have a high-duty cycle. A high-duty cycle means moving lots of loads per hour which are at or near the capacity truck.
If you just need your lift truck for roughly 4 hours per day or on an intermittent basis, an inexpensive brand new model or second-hand lift truck may be optimal. Several of the newer models are available at lower costs which are manufactured for lower-duty cycles. Also, if you think that you would expect to utilize the forklift just during specific times of year on a seasonal basis, then a rental program or a second-hand lift truck might best alternative available and could potentially save you lots of money.
It is important to anticipate if the lift truck is going to be in nearly constant use or not. This will mean knowing the amount of uptime and dependability needed for your certain application.