The Institute of Transportation Systems & Logistics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, in Germany, has conducted a project to find out how forklift manufacturers measure truck use.
The university's "Project Hour Meter" wanted to determine the best way to measure forklift use to achieve maximum cost efficiencies for end users.
Research team member and PhD candidate Serpil Koc said the institute initiated the research because there was no industry standard determining what a forklift's hour meter should count.
"Measuring the number of hours a truck has worked is an important activity used in different aspects of the truck's lifetime," Koc said.
The information was used to determine when maintenance was conducted, when forklifts were replaced, and rental and service charges. According to the research, an hour meter can count forklift use according to:
Key time - time measured from when a forklift's starter key is switched to the on position.
Working hours - time measured from when any of a forklift's motors are active.
Drive-motor hours - time measured from when a forklift has been driven.
Lift-motor hours - time measured from when a forklift has been lifting.
Run-on hours - the meter is configured to continue to run for a period of time whenever the motors stop.
After surveying 14 Europe-based forklift manufacturers and dealers, the study concluded that working hours was the best way to measure forklift activity.
Only 29 per cent of companies surveyed answered yes when asked if they had investigated the measuring method of their forklifts' hour meters and the cost consequences.
Edlund Conny, from BT Europe AB's service market department, said he was happy to receive the university's questionnaire.
"I have been a product manager for Sweden's service market. We often discussed with customers the price we quoted instead of what the customer actually pays, based on how we and competitors measure hours."
BT said in a statement its hour meters "normally measure working hours".
Still sales promotion officer Jürgen Wrusch said the German manufacturer's electric forklifts started measuring hours "when the hydraulic or drive motor" was activated.
"It will be the best possibility for our customers to save costs because maintenance intervals will be longer, compared to the other possibilities."
Manfred Hoehn, Linde Material Handling's marketing service manager, said the leading forklift manufacturer had developed the Linde Forklift Data Management (LFM) device to measure forklift use.
Through the device, the end user received a report that showed a forklift's working hours, key time, and the difference between the two. A second report enabled end users to analyse drive-motor and lift-motor hours combined and separately.
LFM is not standard on all Linde forklifts.
Jungheinrich AG was asked how it measured hour meters but refused to comment.
Companies surveyed were BT, Clark, Crown, OM Pimespo, Atlet, Buescher, Willecke, Jungheinrich, Zeppelin, Yale, Nissan-Forklift, Linde, Toyota Forklift and Still.