For anyone determine whether to buy second-hand or brand new lift truck, it is a very big decision when confronted with the purchasing cycle. The best thing to do is to know the application requirements for the lift truck, when trying to decide between the two options. Like for example, know the kind of equipment that is required, how long you plan to keep it and the number of hours per week or per year you would use it.
Higher priced forklifts would usually hold its value over time. It is good to know that an inexpensive brand new forklift may not have the overall value, reliability and ability of a second-hand unit of an expensive type.
When considering a purchase of a new or used lift truck, there are 3 aspects that you must take heed of: duty cycle, seasonality and utilization. If you are thinking of utilizing your lift truck for 4 or more hours per day, it is better that you buy a brand new unit, specially if you would have a high-duty cycle. A high-duty cycle means moving a lot of loads per hour that are near or at the capacity truck.
Nonetheless, if you expect to utilize your forklift for less than 4 hours per day or on an intermittent basis, than purchasing a lower cost brand new unit or a used forklift may be the right alternative. Some of the newer units are available at lower costs that are manufactured for lower-duty cycles. Additionally, if you think that you would 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 available alternative and could potentially save you lots of money.
It is vital to anticipate if the forklift is going to be in nearly constant use or not. This will mean knowing the amount of uptime and dependability needed for your particular application.