Tire Types
Cushion tires are generally considered solid tires with no tread pattern. These tires are made for indoor solid and smooth surfaces. There are tread patterns available though, that are more suitable for various surface environments. The cushion tires are common on smooth warehouse floors and in similar applications.
Pneumatic tires however would need air and are designed specially for uneven ground and loose surfaces. The pneumatic tire provides a higher ground clearance over solid tires. This raises the forklift's center of gravity and really lessens its rated lift capacity. More often than not, pneumatic tires are used in rough terrain environments due to their ability to negotiate uneven surfaces in a smoother fashion. A lot of mining or agricultural applications and construction sites depend on these tires so as to make sure the equipment can travel as safe and carefully as possible.
Lift Capacity and Lift Height
It is important to know the maximum dimensions and weight of the loads you will be handling in order to determine the capacity of the vehicle needed. Additionally, you should know the maximum fork height needed in order to rack or stack the loads. These factors, the load size and the lifting height, really affect the truck's lifting capacity. A bigger size load is able to move the center of gravity of the vehicle and change the load combination. This reduces the machine's lifting capacity and affects the height and the load being lifted. Using different types of attachments can also affect the overall capacity of the truck.
Mast Options
There are lots of different choices of masts available on the market. Like for instance, there are quad, triple, double or single, the numbers indicate how many sections or stages the mast has. In a variety of circumstances, you will not be required to make any choices as the lift height would dictate the kind of mast you would get, although, in trucks with very high lift heights, you may have a choice.