For certain types of warehouse operations purchasing
pre-owned lift trucks may make more sense. If this is the case for your
business, then you may want to thoroughly explore your options. Maybe even more
than when you would, when buying a brand new truck. Let’s consider why:
1.
PRICE while we are paying less for an old forklift
versus a brand new forklift truck, we want to ensure that we get the most for our
money. That expression “you get what you pay for” may be a scary concept when
dealing with equipment you depend on to carry your valuable goods. While price
truly matters, what you need to look for is value-for-money.
Will it still perform the job
you need it to do?
Will maintenance costs be reasonable? Or
with anticipated repairs, you may as well invest in a new one?
These are factors to really think over and
perhaps things you need not worry about when buying brand new forklifts. But then
again, there are a lot of equipment out there that still have a lot of good use
in them. You just have to know where to find them.
Source from experts as they
would have the biggest pool of inventory. Among the hubs for these types of
forklifts are 123forklift link: http://www.123forklift.com/?gclid=CN-iqcPfm8QCFcNbfgodU0EAwA
and Thomas Net link: http://productsourcing.thomasnet.com/results.html?what=used%20forklifts&searchx=true
the latter is also a good source
for used attachments and accessories as well.
Southern California Material
Handling (SCMH) is another source for used lift trucks. They have been doing
business in Southern California for over 75 years, so their vast number of
customers trade in older lift trucks for new ones. The advantage of shopping with
SCMH is that they recondition most of these trucks and make sure they’re up and
running as best they can before they put it in the market. They also back it up
with great warranty which hubs don’t usually do. With SCMH, you deal direct
with forklift experts who can work towards your specific applications. Link: http://www.scmh.com/category/used/
Just tell them what you’re looking for and they can quickly check their large
inventory for you 562-949-1000.
2.
HOURS on a truck is a big deal. Just like buying
a pre-owned car, we as buyers want to know how far that vehicle has driven as
it gives us an indication of its usage. It gives us an idea how beat up it is
despite its still shiny exterior.
While some equipment with a
great number of hours may still run smoothly and perform accordingly, there’s
not really an instant way of telling. The best way to go about it is bring one
of your own technicians or at least a knowledgeable operator who is trained to
go through basic checklists, so you can have a gauge of what the equipment is
still good for. 
Note: If your forklift operator
underwent OSHA-endorsed training with Danny Barron of SCMH, he/she would be
able to lift the compartments, check tires, check forks, check gears, and
brakes, see how secure the vehicle is. While he/she may not be able to spot
mechanical and technical problems, at least he/she would be able to spot any obvious
operational defects on the functionality of the forklift. For more information
on forklift operator training click this link: http://www.scmh.com/forklift-training-los-angeles/
This extra step of bringing your
tech may be skipped when buying a brand new forklift. But where pre-owned
forklifts are concerned, you may just want to have that expert opinion around
when you commit to buying.
3.
WARRANTY
are you buying from an authorized dealer of a specific brand you wish to
purchase? Is there some type of assurance that you can go by when dealing with
a specific company? If you answered “no” to the previous questions, then your
best bet is to ask about warranties.
We all know that when any
product comes with a warranty the less wary and the more confident we become
with our purchase. No matter how small a purchase we are thinking of doing, say
for instance, a small item over the Internet, doesn’t it make us trust the
seller more if we know that “return/exchange” policies are in place? It means
if we are not happy with the product, there is a guarantee that we can return
it or exchange it for something that we really want.
Same goes for warehouse
equipment. Warranties are in place so that we can count on the seller’s promise
that the forklift is in the condition that it states it to be, otherwise, it
will honor the repairs, parts, service that comes attached with the contract.
SCMH is a factory-owned,
dealer-authorized distributor of top brands such as Cat Lift Trucks, Mitsubishi
Forklifts, Jungheinrich, Kalmar, Combilift, Bendi, Drexel, Genie, Sellick, and
Columbia. They offer warranty on their premium pre-owned inventory. Find out
all about the R and E warranties here: http://www.scmh.com/used-warranty/ 
So the next time you’re in the market for used lift
trucks, remember three things: value for money, equipment performance, and
great warranty. Pre-owned forklifts are the solution to many operations. Just
make sure you do your research thoroughly, otherwise, you may end up spending
more than what you bargained for.
