Equipment Replacement

A lift truck has an Optimum Economic Life: a point at which acquiring a new, or “slightly less used,” truck is more cost-effective than continuing to repair it. The average truck has an estimated economic life of 10,000-14,000 hours, though this relies heavily on prior usage and work conditions, including operating surfaces, average load sizes and cycles per day.

Knowing when to replace lift trucks approaching the end of their OEL is key. But it can be difficult and time-consuming to identify, track and reduce costs related to equipment depreciation. And without a well-planned maintenance and replacement program, it can be expensive.

Take a look at the following charts comparing the cost of retaining 5,000-lb. cushion-tire lift trucks beyond their OEL (Figure 1) with the cost of replacing those same trucks under a Fleet Management program custom built by Barloworld and Hyster (Figure 2):

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

The goal of any good Fleet Management program is universal: to reduce the cost of operating equipment. By replacing an obsolete lift truck, you are trading lower productivity and excess maintenance costs for a unit with higher productivity and lower total cost of ownership.

Contact Barloworld’s Fleet Management team for details.