If you are in the glass installation business, transporting glasses between sites can be extremely tedious without the right equipment. With glass moving equipment, you can ensure that glass delivery occurs safely. However, lifting equipment comes in various types, styles, and sizes, complicating the decision-making. If you are working all season, finding a piece of lifting equipment designed for an all-weather serving purpose is the best. When picking an on-site or in-shop glass lifting machinery, things can turn topsy turvy when you overlook the safety factor. So, here is a list of factors to consider before buying lifting equipment for your installation business.
Things to Consider While Buying Lifting Machinery
There are more than 395,300 construction businesses in Australia. So, whether you install glasses to shops or construction sites or manufacture and supply glasses to retailers, a glass lifter is essential. Considering the safety of the product and the glass handler, here are some factors to consider to make the right choice:
1. The size
Though considering the size of any machinery before moving is obvious, many go wrong here. With glass lifters, you must jot down the size and dimensions of the glass and other materials you will accommodate into the lifter. Once you have done this, proceed by taking the average of the figure that was arrived at. It will give you a basic idea of what size best suits your needs. However, when you arrive at the size, consider all the dimensions. After all, you will not want a lifter that can fit your tall glasses but not have enough space for its width.
2. The operational weight
Operational weight refers to the weight of the equipment. Regarding lifters and trailers, it is always best to choose lightweight over huge operational weight. This is because the lifts and the glass can turn heavier when you go with a lifter with a heavy tare weight. Also, machines with higher operational weights often tend to be huge. As a result, moving the lifters in and out of narrow spaces and other on-site locations can become tricky. Thus, the goal is to pick glass lifters with minimal operational weight and maximum lift capacity.
3. The types
With a glass lifter, you will have two primary types. Firstly, the hydraulic glass lifters. These can become tricky to use if you are also into installing glasses. Most hydraulic lifters come with in-built valves that open and close regularly. Though this feature sounds good for transporting the glass, it often reduces appropriateness and location precision during installations. On the flip side, non-hydraulic lifters do not have such hydraulic valves, and they keep the glass away from any movements that can cause it to slip or fall during installation.
4. Additional features
Regarding additional features, the first factor to look for is the design. Always check if the glass moving equipment can work outdoors and is specially designed for working in rough environments and flooring. Alternatively, you can make a quick choice between indoor and outdoor lifters. Other features include hoses, clamps, connectors, and details on the machine to check on the quality. If you are ready to invest extra, check out the brand’s after-services.
