Just like a 2-door car can also be described as a coupe, the most common forklift mast types have interchangeable names. Before you buy or rent a forklift, it’s important to know the various names for different types of forklift masts.

Already an experienced forklift buyer? Feel free to scroll past the first part of this article and test your knowledge of forklift mast terminology.

Given an unlimited budget, who wouldn’t choose a shiny new forklift with the newest technology and all the accessories? But as Mick Jagger famously sang, “you can’t always get what you want…but you might find you get what you need.”

But therein lies the question. Does your business need a brand-new forklift? Or would a used one work just as well?

You can now buy, lease or rent  the Polaris PRO XD from TMHNC in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno or Salinas. These new vehicles set the standard for durability, productivity and safety in work UTVs,

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends regular cleaning followed by disinfection, but do you know the difference between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting?  Read on to learn:

• What these terms mean
• CDC-recommended cleaning and disinfection methods for floors
• How to choose the right floor cleaning equipment
• Why hot water is essential for killing germs and getting truly clean floors.

Today’s post will review the differences between autoscrubbers that use disc scrubbing heads versus cylindrical brushes.

Disc Scrubbers: Generally speaking, disc scrubbers are two, flat pads or brushes that turn at 300 RPM while water shoots between them. Depending on the brush, these machines can shine floors, remove scuff marks, strip wax, or used as tile cleaning machines. Generally speaking, the walk-behind floor scrubbers you see are typically disc scrubbers.

Cylindrical Scrubbers: A cylindrical scrub brush system will (wet) sweep small debris into a removable tray while also washing the floor. Two rod-shaped brushes turn in opposite directions. The rear brush turns backward and kicks small debris into a hopper behind the scrub head. Optional side brooms provide greater debris capture. Cylindrical scrub brushes turn much faster than disc scrubbers (600-800 RPMs) .

With cylindrical scrubbers, there’s no need to pre-sweep. Eliminating this extra step make cylindrical scrubbers a smart choice for large spaces such as warehouses and parking garages.

Read on to learn the benefits of disc versus cylindrical floor scrubbers for a variety of applications. 

A question we hear fairly often is, “should I buy a 3-wheel or a stand-up forklift?” The price range for these two products is similar, $30,000- $40,000. Both forklifts are:

• An excellent value for the money
• Have a low-maintenance AC motors 
• and have a max lift height of 23 feet. 

So how do you choose the best lift truck for your operation?

In this article, we’ll compare Toyota's Stand-up Rider Forklift (8BNCU15 8BNCU18 and 8BNCU20) to Toyota's 3-Wheel Electric Forklift (8FBE15U-20U, 8FBES15U and 8FBEH18U) so you can make an informed buying decision.

Downtime is something every material handling operation wants to avoid, but for food processing operations downtime is a dirty word. In today’s article, we’ll look at some of the best material handling equipment available for:
- commercial food processing
- cold storage warehouses
- food and beverage material handling

For light duty applications, such as transporting passengers and light cargo, a golf cart may be fine. But for heavy-duty applications that require transporting cargo, covering long distances, and/or traversing steep or rough terrain, you’ll want the suspension strength, clearance and braking capacity of a commercial electric vehicle like a GEM.

With a GEM, you can drive on-road or off-road with confidence. You won’t have to worry if your vehicle’s brakes are strong enough to stop a heavy load going down a steep grade, or if all your tools and supplies will fit securely.

Generally speaking, a NEV such as a GEM is a better choice (versus a golf cart) for: shuttles and tours (especially those that cross city streets), indoor / outdoor hauling, park maintenance, and patrol / security applications.

A clean floor is the sign of a professional operation. Though more expensive than a mop or broom, floor scrubbers and sweepers give your business that professional look with less time and elbow grease. Not to mention, they leave your floors much cleaner!

In this article we’ll look at different types of floor sweepers and scrubbers and the best application for different types of units. We'll also compare the cost to rent, lease or buy a floor sweeper / scrubber.

Understandably, managers are focused on improving profits. Shrinking budgets and (what can seem like) competing priorities can cause conflict between EHS managers and other decision-makers, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Industrial floor cleaning machines offer protection against fines and worker injuries and can pay for themselves through reduced labor costs. Commercial cleaning equipment is like  an insurance policy that also improves the bottom line.

Read on for more ways to get buy-in for an industrial floor cleaning machine purchase. Keep in mind, we can bring any equipment to your location for a free demo - including ride-on and walk-behind sweepers and automatic scrubbers. Toyota Material Handling Northern California (TMHNC) serves the Bay Area, Salinas and The Central Valley from Sacramento to Fresno.