Common Uses for Forklifts

Forklifts are like trucks that help you get heavy materials off of shelves or move them in and out of shipping trucks. They are typically used in warehouse settings to lift heavy pallets of material. There are several different types of forklifts for different uses. Here are some of the more common forklift uses.

Moving Product Stored Indoors

This is the most common use of forklifts. They are most commonly used in indoor warehouses and distribution centers. Forklift operators will generally start their day by unloading new product from trucks that bring in shipments. Distribution centers will load trucks with recently made product to be shipped off to stores. In these indoor environments, its common to see forklift operators stacking boxes or crates to save space for more materials. Most forklifts can be used indoors and some have special hookups for small aisles and higher lifts.

Moving Outdoor Product

These outdoor facilities could be shipping ports, outdoor garden centers, lumber yards, junk yards, construction sites or any business that has outdoor storage. These forklifts have special tires and are designed to lift materials in outdoor conditions. These situations require forklifts to lift crates into shipping containers, dispose of waste, or move heavy materials to higher storage.

Plowing Snow

This may sound weird, but sometimes forklifts are used to plow snow. You can buy forklift attachments to plow large amounts of snow outside of warehouses or wherever it’s not safe to have large amounts of snow. When plowing snow, you’ll need an outdoor equipped forklift and ideal conditions and traction for the forklift to operate correctly.

Training New Forklift Operators

While getting your forklift certification, it’s smart to practice and get to know the machine before and after. Businesses will typically use an old or used model for this just in case there’s an accident. Depending on the type of work, a new forklift operator may need to practice on several different types of forklift trucks during training. It’s important to know how to control each machine, safety is the number one concern when operating a forklift truck.

Forklifts are a technology that some businesses use to transport heavy materials, and maybe even plow snow. If you have a warehouse or business need for a forklift in California, SCMH offers new and used models in the southern California area.

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