
One of the many decisions you’ll make when investing in a new piece of equipment is whether to buy or lease. A big part of that decision is the forklift's battery and what it will eventually cost to replace it.
A forklift battery should last a single-shift operation for five to eight years. Proper care and maintenance can extend battery life up to ten years, but they don't last forever. The average cost to replace an industrial battery is about $6,000 (give or take $1,000). Contact your rep for a more precise quote.
If you’re unsure whether to lease or buy an electric lift truck outright, consider:
- How many hours will the forklift will be used each year?
- What is the operation’s current / future cash flow?
- Can the forklift be well-maintained by staff?
Product Name: Toyota 1ZS Diesel Forklift
Manufacturer: Toyota Industrial Equipment
Interesting Features: Tier IV Final Emissions Compliant
Lift Capacity: up to 6500 lbs for the 1ZS engine, higher capacities available with other engines
Notable feature(s): Multi-function digital display with onboard self-diagnostics, rear pillar assist grip with horn button, swivel seat and ergonomic steering wheel knob.
Price Range: Starting at $30k
Value for the money: Excellent
Best for: Any operation that needs clean diesel power outdoors.
Toyota's 1ZS diesel engine is ideal for the agricultural industry because it meets Tier IV final emissions standards.
Not recommended for: Indoor use
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New diesel / internal combustion forklifts
Used diesel / internal combustion forklifts
When businesses need to maximize space and speed, Toyota reach trucks deliver. Reach trucks are commonplace in medium to large warehouse and distribution centers across the Bay Area, greater Sacramento and Fresno. They’re also widely used in food and beverage distribution.
If your business has narrow aisles (or plans to convert to narrow aisles), a reach truck can do the same job as a forklift, but in a narrower space. With a reach truck, operators can now easily position pallets into racks 37 feet high thanks to Toyota’s most recent product release.
As an added bonus: businesses in California can get paid to charge electric equipment. Use the quarterly payment to help pay for new electric equipment or invest in other opportunities.
*Originally published in 2017. Toyota Material Handling plans on launching a new SR1 stand-up rider in 2022 that has a load capacity up to 5,000 lb. Learn more about electric forklift options here.
Product Name: Toyota Electric Stand Up Rider
Model Numbers: 8BNCU15-16.5, 8BNCU15-18.5, 8BNCU18-16.5, 8BNCU18-18.5, 8BNCU20-18.5, 8BNCU20-21.5
Lift Capacity: 3,000 – 4,000 lbs.
Notable feature(s): Dock-to-stock flexibility, 10 ft. narrow-aisle navigability, 36-Volt electrical system, AC drive and lift motors, side stance operation for intuitive forward and reverse travel, lift heights up to 23 feet, can support multiple shifts.
Options: integral sideshift, cold storage conditioning, reverse steering (operator facing away from forks), full free-lift 2, 3 or 4-stage mast, auto fork leveling (aka 2-way mast tilt centering), digital load weight display.
Price Range: $34k - $45k
Value for the money: Excellent
Get Paid to Go Electric
California’s Air Resource Board (CARB) provides cash incentives to businesses that choose electric material handling equipment. Read about CARB’s LCFS program.
Read on for pros and cons of Toyota's Stand-Up Rider Forklift...
Product Name: Polaris GEM eL XD
Manufacturer: GEM by Polaris
Interesting Features: Can be made street legal up to 25MPH
Price Range: $12,999-$34,999 (depends on options)
Value for the money: Good
Recommended for: Any application with large distances to cover - the bigger the better. This vehicle is popular with universities, airports, large warehousing, and corporate campuses that cover multiple city blocks. It's also good for maintenance departments, or general contractors in major cities. The eL XD also works great in state parks because it performs well in cold or warm weather.
The GEM eL XD can be operated on many streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less. But be sure to check local laws regarding street use and vehicle equipment requirements.
Product Name: Toyota 3 Wheel Electric Forklift
Model Numbers: 8FBE15U-20U, 8FBES15U and 8FBEH18U
Lift Capacity: 3000 - 4000 lbs.
Notable feature(s): Extreme maneuverability, standard wet disc brakes
Price Range: $27,000 - $34,000
Value for the money: Excellent
Optional Features:
Mini levers ergonomic controls
EZ Control joystick
Blue safety light for pedestrians
Rear assist grip with horn button
Best for: These forklifts are uniquely suited for narrow-aisle warehouses (or any operation with limited space) and barrel operations in wine caves. These machines can turn in less than their own length! Every winery needs one...
Not recommended for: The only downside to these lifts is that they are harder on dock leveler plates and generally require the next weight capacity up.
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Cal/OSHA receives more than 20,000 slip and fall injury reports each year, a staggering amount when you consider clean, dry floors can prevent many slip and fall incidents. Slip trip and fall injuries are especially common in warehouse and distribution center environments where:
The best way to keep your floors safe for employees and visitors is with cleaning equipment designed for warehouses and distribution centers - not mops and brooms.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Compliance and Certification are designed to prevent foodborne illnesses. Unfortunately, bacterial contamination remains a leading cause of FDA recalls.
Food contamination from Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes has actually increased in recent years - from 28 percent of food recalls to over 31 percent. With all the rules and requirements, how is this still a problem?
Even low-traffic hallways accumulate a surprising amount of grime that can’t be removed with a mop; break rooms and lobbies are often twice as bad. Maintaining floors with a mop and elbow grease is time-consuming and just can’t get floors as clean as a floor scrubber machine.
Commercial cleaning equipment can eliminate dirt, dust, grease and grime in a fraction of the time it takes someone to sweep or scrub the area manually. Today’s auto-scrubbers and industrial sweepers are whisper quiet, have long-lasting batteries and eliminate the safety hazards associated with mops and brooms.
Time is money, and if you have a large area to keep clean, mops and brooms are inefficient. They also:
Industrial cleaning equipment can quickly pay for itself. Learn more about the advantages of using a commercial floor cleaning machine versus manual cleaning with a mop or broom:
Toyota Material Handling is Northern and Central California's leading provider of Material Handling products and services.
Manufacturers:
Livermore
6999 Southfront Rd. Livermore, CA
(510) 675-0500
Sacramento
2660 Port St. West Sacramento CA
(916) 376-0500
Fresno
5809 Toyota Ave. Fresno CA
(559) 834-9500
Salinas
773 Vertin Ave. Salinas CA
(831) 757-1091