Rough-terrain and vertical-mast lift trucks keep lifting and placing various building supplies on various jobsites even through the evolution and rise of telehandlers on the market. There are many conventional-style forklifts offered in the material handling market which lost market share to telehandlers. This happened especially when the challenger broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have stabilized. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular once more because of their greater efficiency, alteration of certain telehandler-like features and low cost.
The straight mast forklift can finish double the job as a telehandler because of their excellent handling and maneuverability as well as their better ground speed. Interestingly enough, rental companies are starting to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Rental purchasers are having major influence within the rough-terrain lift truck business. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast forklifts are currently being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are normally driven mainly by utilization, that is a factor closely followed by acquisition price.
The telehandler has become an extremely common machine within the material handling business. Their popularity has given them a super advantage when it comes to rental utilization. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is some lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as helpful compared to traditional rough-terrain forklifts for loading and unloading repetitive jobs. This means that although competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, a lot choose the RT forklifts that have been performing well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is a little slower, ganglier to operate and requires a higher level of skillfulness to finish the job. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There will always be a place within the industry for forklifts though, since there are locations which you could not access with a telehandler.
Rough terrain lift trucks are usually compact equipment, smaller but more able to lift a heavier load vertically compared to the telehandler. Basically, so as to utilize the right machinery for your application, you must determine what tasks precisely you will be accomplishing, the kind of circumstances and environment you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. These factors will help you choose what the right alternatives available are.