When confronted with the purchasing cycle, it is a big decision for anyone to determine whether to buy used or new. In terms of buying a lift truck and trying to decide between the two options, the best thing to do is know the application needs for the lift truck. Like for instance, know the kind of machine that is required, the number of hours per year or per week you would utilize it and how long you intend to keep it.
Usually, a higher priced forklift will hold its value longer over time. It is good to know that a lower priced brand new forklift may not have the overall value, dependability and capability of a used unit of an expensive model.
When deciding whether or not to purchase a new or second-hand lift truck, there are 3 aspects of usage that you may wish to take note of: utilization, duty cycle and seasonality. If you are thinking of utilizing your lift truck for at least 4 hours a day, it is better that you buy a new unit, especially if you would 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 only need your lift truck for approximately 4 hours a day or on an irregular basis, a lower cost brand new unit or second-hand lift truck may be optimal. Some of the newer models are available at lower costs which are manufactured for lower-duty cycles. In addition, if you think that you would expect to use the forklift only during particular times of year on a seasonal basis, then a used lift truck or a rental program may best alternative available and can potentially save you lots of money.
It is important to anticipate if the forklift is going to be in nearly constant use or not. This would mean knowing the amount of uptime and dependability required for your particular application.