A rough terrain forklift could be the perfect addition to your fleet when you next make plans for your next project and plant hire contract. The best contract plant hire will furnish your business with the latest models of forklift, and within certain industries, such as agriculture and construction there are often rough, challenging terrain that must be overcome to perform even the most basic tasks. Telehandler fork options that include a rough terrain machine will help keep your operation steady in multiple ways.

What is a rough terrain forklift?

A rough terrain forklift is designed to operate steadily and effectively on even the roughest of terrain, in rugged environments that are difficult for machines to operate on. This can include surfaces that are rocky or gravelled. What you see with the counterbalance properties of traditional forklifts in warehouse scenarios isn’t necessarily the best approach to use on uneven, rough-terrain environments. Instead, all-terrain forklifts have different tyres and have been designed with other specific characteristics that make them the perfect support to transport heavy, cumbersome goods and materials over a wide range of rough terrain. You see rough-terrain forklifts used to great effect on timber yards, on construction sites, and any other projects where the landscape is rocky and uneven, or where there is natural terrain to traverse.

What are the benefits of rough terrain forklifts?

There are several benefits to hiring a rough terrain forklift for use on your site. They include:

Ground clearance

A rough terrain forklift has a higher ground clearance than a traditional forklift does. This allows for easier travel across uneven ground and limits the risk of damage to the undercarriage of the machine. You need that extra gap to the ground on rough terrain, as you are not dealing with a smooth surface as most traditional forklifts are working on.

The tyres

The tyres that are installed on rough terrain forklifts make a massive difference to the balance and safety of the machinery on a wide range of surface types. This is what makes the difference between a rough terrain forklift and a regular forklift, with deep tyre treads that can travel across the harshest of surfaces without worrying about stability, strength, load capacity and manoeuvrability. 

Load capacity

A rough terrain forklift is designed to have a greater load capacity than a traditional forklift, which means that it can, not only carry heavy weights over rough and uneven surfaces, but it can also carry much greater weight. This makes a great difference to what can be achieved on rough terrain and outdoor sites where there is a requirement to carry heavy and cumbersome loads in difficult conditions.

If you are working in an industry where sites are commonly uneven or rough terrain is a daily challenge when operating machinery of any kind, utilising, the services of a plant hire service to furnish your business with rough terrain forklift hire will help to maintain high levels of safety and improve efficiency on any project and whatever it is you are facing. Whether you are discussing an agricultural setting, a construction site, or a warehouse or packaging company, there are often challenging locations and uneven ground to contend with. With the correct machinery in the form of a rough terrain forklift, your workers can operate to a high standard, moving and lifting materials and performing a whole host of tasks safely and efficiently.