Thanks... how do I get a hold of Chris t?
Thank you for the information and insight. We have had a linde now for about 4 months, between the added safety, lower fuel consumption and ease of use, we have more than received our money's worth. Although more money in maintenance, the maintenance intervals are less than other machines.
We are located just east of Cleveland.
mario j;
Yes the dealer, if a Linde dealer would or should have these capabilities to perform these test. As far as the price for your market try to get hold of cris t on this site if anyone would know he should. I acknowledge what fork**lift is telling you is correct, but being an owner/operator of this class of truck you may have already expierenced this. Like every make and model truck on the market today, each has their own strong points and weak points, it is up to the end user to determine which ones best suit them and their application. Linde lifts in the waste recycler's facilities have performed rather well. Maintenance cost are higher then other brands, this is true, but if you find a well trained and equipped service facility with techs that are comfortable with working on this product line you shouldn't go too wrong. What you need now is someone who has a good working knowledge of Linde and is an independent looking out for your interest, the end user, to look over this truck and evaluate it against a condition analysis report of all nine systems.
mario j,
I am assuming you are in the metal recycling business or is it paper or other?
In a Linde H20T or CT the only difference is the tire style - the C indicates the unit is fitted with press on solid (aka cushion tires). As I recall this unit has a base rating of 4500 lb. at 2" load center and shares common components with the 3500 lb lift model.
My knowledge of your business (used to sell Lindes) there are two important features of your business taht you are looking at the wrong truck. These features are the units operate on broken up concrete & the operator has no idea what teh loads way - so they lift anything they can until the rear tires come off the ground (called over loading that equals big repair cost bills ).
My suggestion and advise is buy a truck with solid pneumatic tires on all 4 tires; secondly look for a 5000lb or 6000 lb lift most recyclers I've dealt with are comfortable with this size. If you are handling junk cars look for something much bigger in capacity unit like a 12 to 15k lift with long forks (72" plus) - you'll be happier.
The Linde H20 - 350 series are ok.
We have a few on site, a couple of issues we have seen are:
Stub axle housings wearing out, exhaust manifolds breaking & direction levers that snap internally.
The operators moan about bad backs & heat issues as its a pretty compact operating area the driver sits in.
They also aint the nicest truck on the world to work on as access can be poor, we also have a few H20 392 series and they are so much better, drivers love them.
Try & go for a Linde H20 392 series if you can, much better truck overall in my opinion.
Any ideas if Linde do an approved used truck scheme?
Id rather buy an approved used truck with a warranty from the dealer then something unknown second hand.
Linde hydrostatic trucks, which is what you are looking at, are advertised as having a 20,000 hour economic life.
The problem with buying used trucks is that every seller has a different idea of what reconditioned means and my experience is that most feel that if it has been painted and has with new tires and a seat that means it's reconditioned. The other issue is that typically if something breaks on a forklift truck then only what broke gets fixed. Consequently the truck has numerous wear and tear items that get ignored because they haven't broke yet.
My suggestion is to get in touch with your local dealer and tell them exactly what you are looking for. I would highly recommend buying a new truck with usage of 5 to 6 hours a day. If you buy used then I would look for something with under 6000 hours and I would expect that you would have to be in the $12000 to $15000 for a Linde.
Whats a lot longer? What would the difference be between a pneumatic and cushion aside from the wheels? Is there a structural difference?
Regarding the price, whats a good dea for a machine like this? I cant seem to find an actual "low hour "linde. Since we got burned on our first one, it seems like all the used dealers pitch lindes as low hours but dont back up the hours. Makes me nervous.
We are in the recycling business and are a smaller firm. We run the machine maybe 5-6 hours a day, can be quite aggressive at time.
Maybe linde isnt for us?
Although Linde's typically last a lot longer than most other brands $8900 seems like a lot of money for a cushion tire truck with that many hours. If it were a pneumatic it would be a decent deal.
MEngr:
Thanks for the reply...
The unit was ran at a Honda plant. There is a full maintenance histroy on it. Regarding its condition, it looks like it is in good shape.
Would these tests be something I can request from the dealer?
mario j;
What is it's model as it is shown on the data plate if the year is accurate we are discussing a 350-02 series that were coming from GB. Also, it would be useful to know what application was it previously used in and how well was it maintained, Is there a maintenance history on this vehicle. The operating service life of the VW power unit is good if serviced properly. Most likely if possible run pressure tests on hydrostats and hydraluc system. Have an oil analysis performed on trucks fluid. Does the vehicle look like it came out of a war?