Forklifts are built for rugged
outdoor work so they are made to be more resilient than their indoor
counterparts. Having said that, you do not want to leave your forklift in a
highly vulnerable position outside. Aside from the fact that there is always
the threat of vandalism to your business property, there is a constant concern
of rain, humidity, snow, or heat damaging your forklift through corrosion that
can wear on the forklift’s exterior and interior parts.
Besides, a forklift is an
expensive machine, so the cost of repairing or replacing it can become quite
expensive. This is where forklifts storage facility can save the day for you.
The storage facility will help you to protect your forklifts when it is not in
use. In this article, you can get the low-down on what makes a forklifts
storage facility a haven for company forklifts. Let’s delve.
The benefit of storing
forklifts indoors
Indoor storage is not a
necessary thing for storing forklifts. However, storing forklifts in a
forklifts storage facility is recommended. It’s because a forklift storage
facility protects forklifts against weather conditions which can take their toll
on the forklift’s exterior as well as the interior.
The chains of the forklift, in particular, are vulnerable to rust when left in snowy or rainy conditions. If
it happens you will have to replace the chains more often than not – and that
is a costly matter. Worse, oils in the forklift’s hydraulic system lose their
lubricant abilities and overall strength after getting contaminated in a hot
and humid environment. So, make sure your forklifts are not sitting idle over a
long period amid a hot climate.
Now that you know the
possible dangers to forklifts when they sit outdoors for long durations of
time, it only makes sense to move your forklift into an indoor
climate-controlled forklifts storage facility.
Pro tip-
Before you shift your forklift
to a forklift storage facility for a long duration, we recommend you to run it
out of fuel first and then detach its batteries. You can store the batteries on
plastic – it will act as a barrier against moisture. Doing this will protect
the fuel and batteries against spoilage during long stretches of storage time.
It also keeps the forklift out of condensation damage.
What should be the size of
the forklifts storage facility?
If you’re choosing indoor
storage it’s important to remember that the size of the storage space will
depend on the size of your forklift in question. It also depends on the
quantity of forklifts you want to store. If the forklift storage facility is
providing storage units of the dimensions ranging from 10×25 to 10×35, it should
work for storing forklifts. But if your business operates with forklifts of larger
sizes or if there are many forklifts then you should look for a forklifts
storage facility that offers storage units with dimensions 15×55 to 25×35.
Conclusion-
Unit size is not the only
important parameter to consider when looking for a forklift storage facility.
As forklifts are usually
moved in trucks, we advise you to look for a forklift storage facility that
offers wide aisles for easy drive-up access making it easy for trucks loaded
with your forklifts to maneuver around without any trouble like getting blocked
between units and so on.
