Blog | Page 6

Is your forklift operator going to sit or stand?

Driver comfort has become a critical deciding factor in the purchase of new forklift trucks, and manufacturers like Doosan are at the forefront of that thinking.

That leaves you with a decision. Will your operators stand, or sit?

Here’s what you need to consider as you decide.

Think about your facility’s footprint. What type of surface is it operating on? What is the foot-traffic like and are there other forklifts zipping around the space? How far are your units traveling?

Are your aisles narrow?

Do your forklifts make a lot of short trips, or longer runs with materials on the forks? Is there a lot of repeated stopping and starting?

Tax Cuts and your Forklift Fleet

Plenty of questions these days about the tax cut recently signed into law by the current administration. While it hasn’t been without controversy, it’s good news for industries that move heave materials.

One of the purposes of the bill is to increase business investments. Forklifts are among the types of capital investments, along with computer systems, cranes and other heavy equipment that businesses can spend money on now and receive a tax break later.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provides an opportunity for businesses to immediately expense the cost of capital equipment purchased and put into service before January 1, 2023. The ability to fully expense purchases rather than amortizing the equipment over a long period of time lessens the long-term financial cost of buying new equipment.
Effectively, the bill reduces the tax burden in the first year of a forklift’s tenure with your business, freeing up cash to reinvest in your business.

Forklift Mast Hoses

Your mast hoses don’t appear, at first glance, to do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to your forklift, but the fact is they are critical to efficient, safe operation of your truck.

This is why a daily start-of-shift inspection requirement includes the mast hoses. Even the smallest flaw or damage to a hose can cause expensive problems.

When you’re inspecting your hoses, here are five things to look for to ensure your hoses are in good shape.

Consult your owner’s manual for the recommended inspection intervals.

Start by checking out the jackets covering the hoses. While damage to the jacket doesn’t necessarily mean the hose itself is damaged, it can be a sign something is wrong. Once the jacket is damaged, the hose inside is extremely vulnerable.

Maintaining Forks on the Forklift

It’s called a FORKlift. They’re right there in the name of the truck.

Yet, forklift forks are frequently the forgotten piece of the puzzle when it comes time for inspecting and maintaining a lift.

Think about it. The forks do all the heavy work, they get dragged on the floor and make hard contact with the materials they are moving, not to mention the impact with walls and shelving as loads are delivered or picked up.

Your forks are the forgotten heroes.

You’re told to inspect your forks at the beginning of every shift but that rarely happens. OSHA even directs you to give them a thorough inspection by an experienced professional periodically.