Loaders are one of the most popular types of warehouse equipment. Considering also their relatively high cost compared to other types of equipment, the choice of loaders requires attention and knowledge of their features. In addition, there are additional selection factors relevant to our country. These include, for example, the harsh climatic conditions of some regions.So, the first problem arises of choosing a manufacturer, namely, which is better: expensive “branded” equipment or economy options from little-known manufacturers of third world countries. If we turn to statistics, loaders from German, Italian and Bulgarian manufacturers are the most popular in Russia. Recently, equipment from China has become increasingly widespread. However, the quality of Chinese loaders is lower than European ones, but so is their cost, respectively. Domestic loaders are also inexpensive, but their quality is most often met with very unflattering reviews. It is worth noting that branded products will last longer, but the components needed for repairs can be expensive. Domestic and Chinese equipment will break down more often, and its service life is much shorter. The advantage here is inexpensive components.The second factor in choosing a loader is the dealer's choice. The main criterion is a list of additional services that the organization that bought the loader from this company will receive. First of all, the buyer needs to pay attention to warranty and service, namely: whether there may be problems with the supply of parts for repair, the warranty period and the amount of service. The thing is that the loader device is more complicated than the car device, especially in terms of electrics and hydraulics. This implies the possibility of failure of more components and assemblies. Experts say that up to four thousand parts may be required to repair a modern loader, not to mention that only highly qualified mechanics can carry out repairs.Considering all of the above, the buyer should clarify such points as the cost of calling specialists to fix the problem, as well as whether original, manufacturer-approved components and lubricants are used for maintenance. As a rule, large dealer companies offer their customers an optimal set of services. In turn, in order to assess the scale of the organization, it is enough to look at the assortment of equipment offered by it.Why are only official representatives of manufacturing companies considered in this article? Everything is simple here. The buyer can find more affordable options. Most often, these are loaders that are not intended for use in our country. As a rule, the low cost of such equipment is compensated in the first few months of operation at the expense of service costs. In addition, parts for such loaders are rare, they are rarely available and the owner needs to order them, which means wasting time and paying money. At the same time, the shortage of a loader in the warehouse is felt very quickly, and the costs associated with downtime will be added to everything else. Thus, the total expenses can be very impressive. In addition, it often happens that under the guise of new companies dealing with “gray” equipment, they sell refurbished loaders. It is difficult to distinguish them from new ones in appearance, but most of the nodes are badly worn. The service life of such equipment is several times less than the new one. To protect yourself, it is best not to skimp on the services of an expert who can tell you about the condition of a particular loader.Most of those who buy cheap equipment do not think about its quality. However, the amount saved at the moment does not mean real savings at all. Here, again, it is necessary to take into account the costs of maintenance and repair of loaders. Thus, one of the critical saving factors is the reliability of the equipment, that is, the maximum period of time that the loader can operate without breakdowns. By the way, this period lasts much longer for branded equipment than for inexpensive loaders from little-known manufacturers.Now about the service. On average, loaders need routine maintenance once a month (when working only one shift 5 days a week). If the loader is running longer, maintenance is required more often. This is necessary to know in order to determine whether the dealer really offers the optimal frequency of service throughout the year (usually 2400m/h) or whether the loader will not receive the necessary service, which will lead to wear of its units and more frequent breakdowns. Such savings by the service company leads to significant expenses for the owner of the loader.The next choice factor is fuel consumption. It would seem that this is nothing compared to the cost of the loader itself. However, given the fact that he will most likely work for 8 hours almost every day, fuel costs may eventually amount to a decent amount. It all depends on the size of the loader, as well as on the efficiency of its engine. The leaders in fuel economy, again branded, are German and Italian loaders. An alternative may be to purchase a gasoline loader with the subsequent installation of gas equipment on it. As a rule, it is installed on small models. At the same time, significant fuel savings are achieved. Such loaders are common in developed countries. The reason is that they are more environmentally friendly. In addition, if you purchase several removable cylinders, refueling will be required no more than once a week. When choosing a loader, it is desirable to have an idea of how this particular model relates to domestic fuel. Some imported loaders quickly fail due to low-quality fuel, while domestic loaders are more tolerant of it. Another related problem is the replacement of exhaust gas neutralizers. They are necessary in order to reduce harmful emissions. All equipment from Europe is equipped with neutralizers. When using low-quality fuel, they quickly fail, and their replacement can cost the owner up to thirty thousand rubles.At the beginning of the article, it was already mentioned about the delivery time of spare parts. This issue needs to be considered in more detail. It is best that the parts that require the most frequent replacement are always available at the dealer. The delivery time of the remaining spare parts should be minimal. In our country, it is most often delayed due to bureaucratic delays in customs clearance. Thus, it is better that the dealer's company has established channels for the supply of spare parts. Even more preferable is the option when the company receives spare parts from the manufacturer on a weekly basis. In this case, it will not be difficult to add the spare part necessary to repair your loader. Otherwise, the components can be expected for several weeks. Experts recommend contacting the dealer with a question about the number of teams that carry out visits to repair loaders, the efficiency of their response to a call, as well as the number of repair posts.Another important criterion that is not often taken into account even when buying a car, not to mention a loader, is its residual value, that is, the price for which it can be sold in a few years. With large cargo flows, it is more profitable to sell an old loader and buy a new one than to spend time and money on routine repairs, the frequency of which increases every year. In such a situation, the residual value plays a primary role: the more money you can get from the sale of an old loader, the less amount you will have to add to buy a new one.In conclusion, it is necessary to say about the choice of a loader in accordance with its intended mode of operation. When working in one shift, the service life of imported equipment can reach 15-20 years. However, manufacturers of branded loaders guarantee at least 8-10 years of operation without serious breakdowns. Imported equipment also benefits from working 2-3 shifts a day. If the warehouse is small, and a loader is needed on a case-by-case basis, domestic equipment will also be suitable, which will successfully perform its functions without serious breakdowns. siberian husky dog