Caveat emptor, meaning “let the buyer beware,” entered common law in 1523, making the buyer responsible for the consequences of purchase. Modern laws offer more consumer protection. Still, anyone who has ever purchased from an online discount store knows there’s a gap between seller descriptions and buyer reality.
Investing in material handling equipment for your facility can feel very similar.
Purchasing a Toyota forklift guarantees quality construction, and our expert sales staff provides honest assessments backed by decades of industry experience. Demos narrow the field further, but sometimes you find yourself choosing between two models that seem remarkably similar. In those moments, nothing beats real-world application.
Read on to learn why short-term forklift rentals are the most cost-efficient way to finalize your choice and find your perfect match.
Think of it like buying work boots.
You can read every specification and review for every pair, but research can’t tell you how it will feel on your foot after a long shift. Finding that out means taking them for a spin. Likewise, that’s the best way to make a final selection between two similar forklift models.
Renting material handling equipment lets you see how that particular unit fits into your operation.
By renting it, you place the equipment in the hands of the people who will actually use it. Then, operators put the rental equipment through typical daily use in your facility, moving your loads through your aisles
Their feedback provides grounded data on the unit's impact on productivity.
Material handling technology is advancing faster than ever before.
Every year, new tools and technologies enter the market. Some are ground-breaking, while others are just trendy. We can help you sort through that. Still, features that are revolutionary to one facility are less beneficial to another.
Fork truck rentals allow you to discover:
Rentals show you how introducing a new technology will affect your workflow and infrastructure.
Rental terms allow you to swap out forklifts that aren’t a good fit.
The biggest risk of direct purchase is getting stuck with equipment that creates unforeseeable pain points. However, by renting first, you can switch models until you find one that doesn’t chafe your workflow.
Renting ensures your final choice will be your best option.
After collecting feedback from all your stakeholders, you’re ready to convert your favorite rental into the newest addition to your fleet.
To help make that seamless, we offer three convenient pathways to ownership.
Rental purchase options (RPOs) are the most straightforward of these pathways.
RPOs are a great choice if you know the model you want to rent and have already decided to move toward ownership. With this program, our Solutions Team provides a structured pathway to transition from renting to owning, complete with clearly defined terms.
RPOs let our team work with you to ensure the unit you choose is the best fit for your long-term plan.
Sometimes a temporary rental becomes a valuable part of the fleet.
When you already have a rental and decide to purchase it, our Solutions Team can guide you through this process. This is not so much a rent-to-own plan as an outright purchase of an existing rental. Consequently, this procedure is more like buying a used forklift rather than an RPO.
As such, the process varies, but it can be one of the fastest ways to transition from rental to ownership.
Renting new equipment is similar to a lease.
In this case, you receive a new unit and enter into a customized multi-year agreement. The contract terms outline specifics such as rental payments, service plan coverage, and anticipated usage hours. This option offers the stability of a long-term rental while still allowing you to swap out models as your business needs evolve.
This is a great pathway for operations that prefer new equipment but still want flexibility.
Renting equipment is the safest way to choose between similar models.
While forklifts are a prime example, this rule applies to all types of material handling equipment, including scissor lifts, boom lifts, order pickers, and reach trucks.
Our Solutions Team offers extensive knowledge and insight on all the equipment we sell. Still, you are the final judge of what works for your facility. We’ll bring the full benefit of our experience to narrow down your choices to the best candidates. After that, a forklift rental will be your best tool for making your final decision.
To learn more about forklift rental options and rent-to-own programs, contact us online or visit one of our locations:
Florida
Jacksonville
Lakeland
Ocala
Orlando
Tampa
Winter Haven
Georgia
Albany
Macon
Columbus
Valdosta
Further Reading
5 Reasons to Rent a Forklift
6 Questions to Ask When Renting a Forklift
8 Reasons to Rent from a Forklift Dealer