Even after the rise and explosion of telehandlers on the material handling industry, rough terrain forklifts and vertical mast lift trucks could be found picking up and transporting different goods and materials on jobsites all over the world. There have been numerous other traditional lift trucks which lost market share to telehandlers. This happened especially when the competition broke onto the construction scene. Ever since that time, sales numbers have stabilized. Vertical-mast lift trucks have re-surfaced and seem to be becoming more popular again thanks to their greater production, modification of some telehandler-like features and low cost.
The straight mast forklift could complete twice the job as a telehandler because of 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.
Within the rough-terrain lift truck industry, rental purchasers have been having a greater influence. More than 50 percent of all vertical-mast lift trucks are now being sold to a rental yard. These purchases are normally driven mainly by utilization, that is a factor closely followed by acquisition price.
In the material handling business, the telehandler has become the darling new machine. Its popularity has enhanced its benefit in the rental market too. Their overall expansion has been moderated by their higher price. There is several lift truck users who feel that telehandlers are not nearly as useful compared to conventional rough-terrain forklifts for loading and unloading repetitive tasks. This means that even though competition amongst 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 skillfulness to finish the job. On the upside, they get the reach if they need it. There would continuously be a place in the business for lift trucks though, because there are locations which you could not access with a telehandler.
The rough-terrain lift truck is compact, small and able to carry a heavier load vertically compared to the telehandler. Essentially, so as to utilize the right equipment for your application, you should determine what jobs precisely you will be completing, the kind of environment and circumstances you would be operating in and what your load capacity is. These factors would help you choose what the best alternatives available are.