Vertical-mast and rough-terrain forklifts keep picking up and positioning different building supplies on various jobsites even through the rise and evolution of telehandlers on the market. There are many conventional-style forklifts existing in the material handling business that lost market share to telehandlers. This occurred specially when the challenger broke onto the construction scene. Since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast forklifts have re-emerged and seem to be becoming more popular again thanks to their greater productivity, lower cost and alteration of some telehandler-like features.
The straight mast lift truck can complete double the job as a telehandler due to their superior maneuverability and handling in combination with their better ground speed. Interestingly enough, rental outfits are starting to charge higher rates on straight-mast models.
Rental buyers are having major influence within the rough-terrain lift truck industry. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast lift trucks are currently being sold to a rental yard. These acquisitions are normally driven mainly by utilization, that is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
Within the material handling industry, the telehandler has become the darling new equipment. Its popularity has enhanced its advantage in the rental market as well. 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 jobs. This means that even if competition among telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, a lot 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 will always be a place in the industry for lift trucks though, because there are locations which you would not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and could lift a heavier load vertically as opposed to the telehandler. Essentially, so as to use the best machine for your application, you will need to determine what tasks exactly you will be accomplishing, the kind of environment and conditions you will be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors will help you choose what the best options available are.