and worth noting, as far as used electric forklifts, the battery is most of the value of the used electric forklift.

johnathan k

Just to clarify a possible misunderstanding. on your part. Whether you pay cash, or finance a unit doesn't necessarily lock one into a given dealership. Most often units that are financed (conditional sales contract aka a $1 option lease or FMV fair market value lease) are financed by an independent leasing company. Some dealers do have their own in house financing. It is common that a FMV is combined with a full maintenance agreement then one is tied into a specific dealership for the maintenance portion.

What bbforks is saying due to the conditions for warranty coverage (many brands have as std a 2 year warranty coverage for the power train and certain components (generally those associated with emission control on ICE powered units) up to 5 years. But these warranties are through an authorized distributor of the brand. Generally speaking lift truck dealers are not like car dealers with more than one located with in just a few miles of each other.

Technology on today's LT makes it difficult for "anybody" to work on any brand with a high level of competency as manufacturers have built in certain proprietary systems & software - that the authorized dealers have access to and technical training but this stuff is not openly available to anybody & everybody.

At one time most anyone could fix a Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily) with a pair of pliers and some baling wire - but not today. See my first car was a '51 Ford (paid $150 cash). Grew up on a farm where baling wire was plentiful - just had a hard time keeping up with my pliers.
Almost the same holds true with lift trucks - but one can't crawl under a LT easily.

Well, if you're looking at purchasing a lift, don't forget that with new technology you may be forced to work with the local dealer (you can't shop dealers of the same brand, you have to use the one that services your territory) when it comes to the electronics, as these are dealer protected.

Good point, I think we are leaning towards cash. Then we can take our forklift anywhere. Are there any draw backs to cash payments instead of lease?

Another factor to consider is that in fast paced world of today, a competent dealership today doesn't mean that they'll be that way tomorrow. With by-outs, mergers, etc, it seems that things don't stay the same for long. I'd recommend a short term lease with the option to extend the lease if the dealership proves itself worthy if your business.

Nothing like locking yourself into a 5 year lease only to find out 6 months in you've made a mistake.

It is always a good idea to get input from various people in your company to determine the best 'total value" to your company. People like the o lt operators, warehousing/production people. You stated you already found a dealer that has top level solid support - unless you have been doing business with this company for a period of time that is a bigger challenge than determining what lift truck to buy - unless it is a company owned by someones brother-in-law. Big & lots of evrything don't always mean the best. Likewise, small and not so much doesn't mean inept. Personally, I like going to a small doctor that I know & they know me vs. a large clinic and you don't know what doctor you are going to see in you next visit.

Thanks for the info, I will pass this on to those who make the decisions. I do most of the preliminary research, so this is good info.

If you can ,buy new, you can get what you want and you are not getting somebodies else headache.

Partsguy is right on the money. You will normally find that salesmen are very interested in your application. Our industry is very dependent on repeat customers. They want you to be happy with your purchase so you will come back to them when you expand or need replacement.

Jonathan,

Most dealers will let you have a demo unit for at least a couple of days. I would contact a couple of the dealers and have their salesman come out, look at your application and make their recommendations. You then can compare these and see if their is any major differences between what each brand recommends.

So I have found the dealer with the most solid support. So now I should ask them which model they recommend? Should I trust them with out question? I would really like to know people's experience so that I can make an informed decision regardless of the expertise of the dealership and their level of support.

Your best bet is to find out which local dealer does the best job. Support is the most important thing.