Tire Types
Cushion tires are normally considered solid tires with no tread pattern. These tires are designed for indoor solid and smooth surfaces. There are tread patterns available though, which are a lot suitable for various surface environments. The cushion tires are common on smooth warehouse floors and in similar applications.
However, pneumatic tires require air and have been specifically designed for outdoor use on uneven ground and loose surfaces. Pneumatic truck tires have higher ground clearance as well. This raises the forklift's center of gravity and greatly reduces its rated lift capacity. More often than not, pneumatic tires are used in rough terrain environments due to their ability to negotiate uneven surfaces in a smoother manner. Many mining or agricultural applications and construction sites rely on these tires so as to make certain the machine could travel as safe and carefully as possible.
Lift height and Lift Capacity
It is vital to know the maximum dimensions and weight of the loads you will be handling in order to determine the capacity of the vehicle needed. Also, you must know the maximum fork height required to be able to rack or stack the loads. These factors, the lifting height as well as the load size, really affect the lift capacity of the truck. A bigger size load is able to move the center of gravity of the vehicle and change the load combination. This reduces the equipment's lifting capacity as well as affects the load being lifted and the height. Using various attachments can also affect the overall capacity of the truck.
Mast Options
On the market these days are various options of forklift masts. These include: quad, triple, double and single masts. The number indicated the amount of sections on the mast. In a variety of circumstances, you will not be needed to make any choices because the lift height would dictate the kind of mast you will get, however, in trucks with really high lift heights, you could have an option.