Vertical-mast and rough-terrain forklifts keep lifting and placing various construction supplies on various jobsites even through the rise and evolution of telehandlers on the market. There are numerous traditional-style lift trucks existing in the material handling market that lost market share to telehandlers. This happened particularly when the challenger broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have become stable. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular again thanks to their greater production, lower cost and adaptation of certain telehandler-like features.
The straight mast lift truck could complete double the work as a telehandler due to their superior handling and maneuverability along with their better ground speed. Interestingly enough, rental outfits are beginning to charge higher rates on straight-mast models.
Rental purchasers are having significant influence within the rough-terrain lift truck business. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast forklifts are currently being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are usually driven mainly by use, which is a factor closely followed by purchase price.
The telehandler has become an extremely common machine within the material handling industry. Their popularity has given them a super advantage in terms of rental utilization. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several forklift users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as productive compared to conventional rough-terrain lift trucks for loading and unloading repetitive tasks. This means that even if competition among telehandler marketers has lowered their prices, many prefer the RT forklifts that have been performing well for decades.
In comparison, the telehandler is ganglier, a little slower to operate and requires a higher level of skill to complete the job. On the upside, they get the reach if they require it. There would always be a place in the industry for lift trucks though, because there are locations which you will not be able to access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain forklift is small, compact and can carry a heavier cargo vertically as opposed to the telehandler. Basically, so as to use the right equipment for your application, you will need to determine what tasks exactly you would be completing, the kind 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.