Even after the rise and explosion of telehandlers on the material handling industry, rough terrain lift trucks and vertical mast forklifts can be found picking up and moving various items and materials on jobsites all over the world. There have been numerous other standard lift trucks that lost market share to telehandlers. This happened especially when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast forklifts have re-emerged and seem to be becoming more popular once more thanks to their greater production, adaptation of certain telehandler-like features and low cost.
The straight mast lift truck could complete two times the work as a telehandler due to their excellent maneuverability and handling in combination with their better ground speed. Fascinatingly enough, rental companies are beginning to charge higher rates on straight-mast units.
Rental purchasers are having major influence in the rough-terrain lift truck business. Over half of all vertical-mast forklifts are currently being sold to a rental yard. These acquisitions are normally driven mainly by utilization, that is a factor closely followed by acquisition price.
The telehandler has become an extremely popular machine within the material handling industry. Their popularity has given them a better advantage in terms of rental use. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is some lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as useful compared to traditional rough-terrain lift trucks for unloading and loading repetitive jobs. This means that even though competition amongst telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many choose the RT lift trucks which have been working well for decades.
The telehandler is a little slower machinery in comparison to a rough terrain forklift model. They are also ganglier to utilize and requires a higher level of skill to finish the job. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There would always be a place within the industry for forklifts however, since there are places which you would not be able to access with a telehandler.
Rough terrain forklifts are normally compact equipment, smaller but more able to lift a heavier load vertically compared to the telehandler. Essentially, so as to utilize the best machinery for your application, you should determine what tasks precisely you will be accomplishing, the type of setting and circumstances you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. All these factors would help you decide what the right options available are.