Questions to Ask When Deciding which Forklift to Hire

If you are looking to hire a forklift you should ask a few questions before deciding on which Forklift to hire as well as which forklift hire company to use. Here are a few examples that may be useful to make your forklift hiring decision.

Forklift to Hire

Questions about the Forklift 

1. What is the weight capacity of the forklift needed? This is an important question as you do not want to overpay for a Forklift that has too much power but you also don’t want to hire a forklift that cannot do the job. Aspects to consider in this situation is how is the product that needs to be moved is packaged, is the size regular or irregular, is the product currently on pallets or on the floor? These will all help you to gauge which capacity of forklift is required. 
2. What surface will the forklift be driven on? If the forklift is to be driven on a rough, uneven surface or outdoors, it’s important that it has the correct tyres for the job. If the forklift is to be driven on a smooth surface there needs to be enough traction on the tyres in order to do so.  Other aspects to consider include the aisle width, space to manoeuvre and general size of area.
3. What is the lift height? A forklift must have the ability to lift the weight of its load to the correct height. In a warehouse situation for example, if the forklift can only reach to the 2nd shelf but products need to be stored on the top shelf then you have wasted money hiring a forklift that does not reach to this height. Take measurements of the area you need a forklift for before you contact a Forklift hiring company. 

Questions for the Forklift Hire Company 

1. What is in the hiring agreement? Make sure you read through the forklift hiring agreement thoroughly and question anything you are unsure about. Keep a copy for your own purposes. 
2. What is the cost per rental period? You may need a forklift to hire for a day, a month, a few months or a few years. Determine how long you will need to hire a forklift for as well as your budget and discuss these rates with the forklift hire company.  
3. Can drivers be provided? Most forklift for hire companies will also provide a qualified driver at an additional cost. This could be a worthwhile investment if you do not have experience with forklifts. In this case you will also not need to worry about hiring a fulltime forklift driver on your payroll and the associated fixed costs with this. 
4. What checks need to be done beforehand? As you do not want to be held liable for any damages, dents or scratches on the forklift, make sure you inspect the Forklift properly beforehand and note any damages. Make sure the forklift for hire company knows about these damages and have these signed off. 
5. What insurance is needed? Check with your insurance broker to verify what coverage you have when using a hired forklift. The forklift supplier should insure the equipment, but you will need to cover the driver and any other workers who come into contact with the equipment. 
6. How will the forklift be transported to your site? This is an important question to ask as many forklift hiring companies will deliver forklifts to your site but at an additional charge. Find out what the charge is and if possible, let them deliver to your site. It is far easier and safer to do so.

The above are all important questions to ask when deciding to hire a forklift. It will ensure that you do not spend unnecessary money on a more expensive Forklift, when a smaller, more economical forklift will do the job better. 

It’s important to partner with a Forklift for hire business that knows what it’s doing. Retrolex Forklifts has many years’ experience in forklift hire as well as forklift repairs, maintenance, used forklift sales, emergency forklift breakdown service and forklift load testing. For all your forklift hiring needs, speak to the experts in the industry. Speak to Retrolex Forklifts today for a quote.