Forklifts have made warehouse work a thousand times easier than it ever was. Before electricity and forklifts, dock workers had to use ropes and pulleys to move large loads into position and place the loads on shelves. Now, forklifts just pick up pallets carrying up to forty thousand pounds as though the loads were boxes of feathers. No strain, no bodily injury, and no time-consuming tasks are involved. The only barrier most warehouses face is the cost of purchasing one or more forklifts. Here is how you can lift and reach for better forklift pricing.
Used Yale Forklifts
You could buy this kind of forklift factory-direct. The manufacturer frequently refurbishes their own products and resells them to interested parties. You might find them on the website from time to time, but you will have better luck calling the company directly and asking to speak to someone in sales. Typically, only companies that are certified sellers of this brand of forklifts are allowed to sell used and new forklifts, which makes it tricky to find what you are looking for. However, the salesperson at the manufacturer's plant can help you locate a dealer if you would rather test-drive a used model prior to purchase. Overall, a used Yale forklift model or refurbished model can be thousands of dollars less than a brand-new one.
Bargaining
Sometimes you can make some worthwhile trades if you know how to wheel and deal. Ask around to see if other warehouses or shipping companies in the area have a spare forklift they are not using, or one they can easily lend you for a price. Sometimes the trade could be an extra couple of workers for a day each month in exchange for getting a forklift for your own warehouse. That is definitely a bargain worth considering when you look at cost of buying new.
Buying Used Rental Inventory
Rental companies and stores that stock forklifts will often sell off their used forklifts after so many years of renting them out. When that happens, you can scoop up a well-maintained forklift for pennies on the original dollar of the forklift when it was new. It will be broken in, but it will be worth it to get it for song, so to speak. Additionally, you will certainly have your choice of brands, as rental companies are rarely particular about the brand of forklifts they keep in stock for rental purposes.
