Vertical-mast and rough-terrain lift trucks keep lifting and positioning different construction supplies on various jobsites even through the rise and evolution of telehandlers on the market. There are a lot of conventional-style forklifts existing in the material handling industry which lost market share to telehandlers. This occurred specially when the challenger broke onto the construction scene. Since that time, sales numbers have stabilized. Vertical-mast forklifts have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular once more due to their greater production, lower cost and modification of certain telehandler-like features.
The straight mast forklift can complete twice the work as a telehandler because of their excellent maneuverability and handling in addition to their better ground speed. Interestingly enough, rental companies are beginning to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Within the rough-terrain forklift business, rental buyers have been having a greater influence. More than half of all vertical-mast forklifts are now being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are usually driven mainly by utilization, which is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
The telehandler has become an extremely popular machinery in the material handling industry. Their popularity has given them a better advantage when it comes to rental utilization. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several forklift users who feel that telehandlers are not practically as productive as opposed to conventional rough-terrain forklifts for unloading and loading repetitive tasks. This means that although competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many choose the RT forklifts which have been working well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is a little slower, ganglier to operate and requires a higher level of skill to complete the task. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There would continuously be a place in the business for forklifts however, as there are locations that you will not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and able to carry a heavier load vertically compared to the telehandler. Basically, so as to utilize the right machinery for your application, you should determine what jobs exactly you would be completing, the type of circumstances and environment you will be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors will help you decide what the best options available are.