For anybody determine whether to purchase second-hand or new forklift, it is a very big decision when confronted with the purchasing cycle. The best thing to do is to figure out the application requirements for the lift truck, when trying to decide between the two options. Like for instance, know the type of equipment that is required, the number of hours per year or per week you will use it and how long you intend to keep it.
Usually, a higher priced forklift would hold its value longer over time. It is good to remember that a lower priced new lift truck may not have the overall dependability, ability or value of a used unit of a higher priced type.
When considering a purchase of a brand new or second-hand lift truck, there are 3 aspects that you should take heed of: duty cycle, seasonality and utilization. If you are thinking of using your lift truck for 4 or more hours per day, it is recommended that you purchase a new unit, especially if you will have a high-duty cycle. A high-duty cycle means moving a lot of loads per hour which are at or near the capacity truck.
However, if you expect to utilize your forklift for less than 4 hours per day or on an intermittent basis, than purchasing a lower cost new model or a used lift truck might be the best option. Some of the newer units are available at lower costs which are manufactured for lower-duty cycles. Moreover, if you think that you will expect to utilize the forklift only during specific times of year on a seasonal basis, then a rental program or a used lift truck may best option available and can potentially save you lots of money.
It is important to know whether the machine would be in constant use. This would mean determining the amount of uptime and dependability needed for your certain application.