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What Do Forklift Truck Warranties Actually Cover And What Separates Great Fork Lift Truck Companies

      By: Debbie Oldham

Your new industrial unit is being customized to your exacting requirements and you have chosen to purchase a brand new forklift truck for the heavy lifting and moving work. As you are buying brand new you shouldn't be hit with any unexpected maintenance costs, surely its all covered by the warranty and you only need to budget for fuel, the driver and licensing? Well maybe before pen is put to paper and the new truck is ordered it would be worth reading, at least once, the warranty document.

As with most warranties, licenses and even instructions, is is long winded and full of words used purely to justify their existence in the dictionary. However the warranty must clearly spell out exactly what is covered and how it is covered - losing your truck for 3 months while it is repaired without a free replacement is going to hit your business hard in any year. Most fork lift truck warranties exist to help differentiate purchasing a new forktruck from a used one. The major components of the truck and all of the parts that do not wear with use, or are expected to wear of use, should be covered. A whole list of forklift parts are considered to be wearable, and in essence have a life span dictated by the usage and environment of the truck. It is these parts that will most probably not be covered by your warranty. An easy way to understand the warranty is more of a guarantee that the fork truck has been created correctly and the major components are sound, it is not a guarantee that the tyres will not wear, nor the battery will not need replacing.

The best way to find out what is not included is by asking about a maintenance contract and find out what is included in that. As maintenance contracts usually cover items not included in the warranty you can get a clear picture of the servicing requirements and which forklift parts are most likely to need replacing after x number of hours. Highlighting these wearable parts and cost factoring this into the annual budget of the forktruck will ensure no unexpected cost surges throughout the year.

Forklift truck warranties are an essential tool to give you peace and mind that your truck is sound and will operate correctly for at least a few years however ongoing costs are still going to be incurred even with a brand new machine and hence a budget allocation or maintenance contract needs to be looked at and is as important.

Your business needs a new forklift truck and the last one you had was inherited from the farm next to your distribution unit. You need to replace the forklift but are not sure where to start the buying process. Like most industries there are companies that sell products and there are those that sell them better and look after you more, how do you decide which is which?

The first step should be to source local and national suppliers that service your area. A quick google search or even the old trusty yellow pages should give you half a dozen or so choices. Send them an email or give each a call and inquire about their trucks. Make sure you note down some information from each of them, a quick list grid is a good way to compare. If they ask you about your business and take an interest in how the truck will be used and what type of environment it will be used then record that. A company focused purely on sales will need to replace customers repeatedly whereas a business focused on retaining customers and growing through recommendations are much more likely to provide you with a more suitable machine.

Arrange to visit the offices if they are local but at least visit one to try out the forklift you are about to purchase. If you are not a forktruck driver or won't be driving the machine regularly take whoever will be and has in the past as their unique experience will be beneficial. Including them in the procurement process will also give them a motivational boost compounded by the prospect of their new tool equivalent to at least an office party or two!

Once you have spoken and visited the companies check out their maintenance and service contracts ensuring they will look after you and your fork lift truck next month and the month after. Request a couple of contact numbers or emails from existing clients and contact them. Have a chat and learn from their experience with the company, was it good, great or just average? Did they have any problems and how were they resolved? Were they made to wait for 8 weeks while a fork truck part was shipped in from China? Is the company a subscriber to industry standards and practices?

Obviously cost is going to play a major part in your choice of forklift truck company, however it is only a part of your consideration - service, support and the relationship between you and the company that will ensure your forktruck operates correctly on a daily basis are also important factors in your decision.

Article Source: http://www.dollarchurn.com/articles

If you are looking for forklift parts or forklift hire take a look at Fork Truck Solutions' website

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