Even after the rise and explosion of telehandlers on the material handling market, rough terrain lift trucks and vertical mast lift trucks can be found picking up and moving various items and supplies on jobsites around the globe. There have been numerous other standard lift trucks which lost market share to telehandlers. This occurred particularly when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-emerged and seem to be becoming more popular once more due to their greater production, modification of some telehandler-like features and low cost.
Straight-mast equipment would finish double the job that a telehandler will do due to their ground speed and maneuverability. Interestingly enough, rental companies are starting to charge higher rates on straight-mast models.
In the rough-terrain forklift industry, rental purchasers have been having a greater influence. More than half of all vertical-mast forklifts are currently being sold to a rental yard. These acquisitions are generally driven mainly by utilization, which is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
The telehandler has become a very common machinery in the material handling business. Their popularity has given them a better advantage when it comes to rental use. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as useful compared to traditional rough-terrain forklifts for unloading and loading repetitive jobs. This means that even though competition among telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many prefer the RT lift trucks that have been working well for decades.
The telehandler is a little slower machine in comparison to a rough terrain forklift unit. They are also ganglier 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 within the business for forklifts however, because there are locations which you will not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain forklift is compact, small and could carry a heavier load vertically as opposed to the telehandler. Essentially, so as to use the best machinery for your application, you should determine what jobs exactly you would be accomplishing, the type of environment and conditions you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors will help you choose what the right options available are.