What to Look For in Your Next Rental

In warehousing and construction, we know seasonal jobs make up a fair amount of your annual workload. Warehouse managers and construction site foremen understand that forklift and aerial equipment rental is just one way to reduce short-term costs. At MH Equipment, you can rent forklifts, scissor lifts and various other material handling equipment by the day, week, month or season. If you see a spike in business and can’t afford to make an investment just yet, rental is your best option. But how do you know which kind of rental to go with? Begin by asking the right questions! We break down the best questions to ask when renting equipment in this blog.

For specialty equipment like aerial and boom lifts, some of the most important questions to ask are about lift reach and maneuverability.

1. Which is more important: Horizontal reach, or reaching difficult-to-see places?

Horizontal reach refers to the height of the lift. If your main priority is getting your workers into very difficult to reach places due to height, ask about telescopic boom lifts—they’re perfect for indoor or outdoor applications and can reach up to 80ft. If you need to pivot or move around and reach multiple areas, you can’t go wrong with an articulating boom lift from Genie.

Other options include:

o Scissor lifts for tight spaces

o Telehandlers for moving material to high locations—not people

o Vertical mast lifts for moving/lifting products or people while completely elevated

o Trailer mounted booms, which can be towed behind a pickup truck or SUV.

Choosing the right forklift for rent, on the other hand, requires knowing the answer to different questions:

2. Are you using your forklift inside or outside?

Many forklifts are good for both indoor and outdoor usage, but if you’re working predominately in one or the other, picking the right forklift for the job is critical.

For indoors, some of your best options include:

o Yale 3 Wheel Electric forklifts are a perfect option for indoor use—they’re zero emission vehicles and can maneuver well in tight warehouse spaces.

o Hyster 4 Wheel Electric forklifts are another good choice for indoor use and come in different tire configurations, too.

For outdoors, your best bets are:

o Hyster Container Handlers, which are essential for any shipping operation, especially as you’re loading and unloading directly from a semi-truck.

o Hyster High Capacity Forklifts are another solid choice for outdoor lifting—especially when your lift needs are closer to the 20k lbs. range.

o Hyster Internal Combustion Forklifts are ideal for either construction sites or warehouses since cushion or pneumatic tires are available for a variety of models.

3. How narrow are your aisles?

For very narrow aisles, you need to be mindful of how easily and safely your operators will move between aisles. Every forklift has a clearance radius, so you will need to measure your warehouse aisles accordingly and choose a forklift that best fits your needs. In general, a narrow aisle forklift from Hyster or a narrow aisle forklift from Yale would be the best forklift to meet your needs. With a minimum turning radius of 88.6’, you’ll safely be able to move in tight squeezes throughout your warehouse.

For more information on rental options, please contact us at any of our 27 locations in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania or West Virginia.