Vertical-mast and rough-terrain lift trucks keep picking up and placing various building materials on different 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 business that lost market share to telehandlers. This happened particularly when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast forklifts have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular again due to their greater efficiency, modification of certain telehandler-like features and low cost.
The straight mast forklift could finish two times the job as a telehandler due to their excellent handling and maneuverability along with their better ground speed. Fascinatingly enough, rental companies are beginning to charge higher rates on straight-mast models.
Within the rough-terrain lift truck industry, rental purchasers have been having a greater influence. Over 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 a very popular machinery within 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 lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as productive compared to traditional rough-terrain forklifts for unloading and loading repetitive tasks. This means that even if competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many prefer the RT forklifts that have been working well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is ganglier, a little slower to operate and needs a higher level of skill to finish the job. On the upside, they get the reach if they need it. There will always be a place in the business for forklifts however, since there are places that you will not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and could lift a heavier load vertically compared to the telehandler. Basically, so as to use the right machine for your application, you would need to determine what tasks precisely you would be accomplishing, the kind of circumstances and setting you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. These factors would help you decide what the best options available are.