Posted: November 17, 2023

Electric vs. Propane Forklifts

Which option should you go with?

Forklifts are used on a daily basis within many different commercial industries. Agricultural workers, people who work on construction sites, warehouses and manufacturers rely on them to get everyday jobs done. Since they are such an important part of numerous different business operations, it is important to use the type of forklift that is best for your business. And that brings us to electric verses propane forklifts.

Electric Forklifts

Electric forklifts operate with the help of an electric motor that has a rechargeable battery. This means that they will eventually run out of power every few hours and need to be recharged before they are able to operate again.

Propane Forklifts

Instead of using any kind of electric motor or battery, these forklifts rely on propane gas to operate and work. Since they produce minimal carbon emissions, they are safe to use in well-ventilated indoor areas, which increases their popularity among warehouse workers, distribution centers and manufacturers.

Propane forklifts have propane tank cylinders that store their supply of propane. Once that propane has been used up, the cylinder simply needs to be replaced with a full one. This means that there is no need to find a way to charge a propane forklift, which makes it a convenient choice for any work done outside of warehouses and manufacturing sites.

Reasons to use propane for your forklifts

There are a whole lot of reasons why warehouses, distribution centers and construction sites choose to use propane gas powered forklifts. Here are a few:

• Propane is safe: Propane itself has a reputation for being a very safe alternative fuel. Propane forklifts actually meet (and sometimes surpass) indoor air quality standards. Natural gas and diesel forklifts do not. This means that you can feel comfortable and protected operating a propane forklift inside a warehouse or distribution center.
• You can count on propane: Electric forklifts often get damaged and have a hard time working in the rain or other severe weather conditions. Propane forklifts do not. You can depend on them to be fully operational no matter what kind of weather you encounter.
• Added convenience: In addition to having a reputation as being a very safe fuel, propane also has the reputation for being a very convenient fuel. Some of this convenience lies in the fact that a single propane cylinder can keep a propane forklift running for an entire shift. Plus, as mentioned above, all a refill requires is a quick switch of cylinders as opposed to taking the time to charge an electric forklift.
• Propane is cost effective: Most propane is made in the United States, which helps keep its prices on the lower side and means it is less affected by the global financial market than natural gasoline and diesel fuel are.
• Propane forklifts are powerful: As the battery life on an electric forklift decreases, an electric forklift won’t be able to move as fast or lift as much weight. This is not the case with propane forklifts. In fact, propane forklifts can operate at full capacity up until every last drop of the fuel in their cylinder has been used up. They can also work better on inclines when compared to electric forklifts.

Hill Gas Has the Propane Your Forklift Needs

If you are in Brown, Comanche and Erath Counties in Texas, know that you can turn to Hill Gas for forklift propane. Our retail locations in Brownwood, Comanche and De Leon are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm and we will be happy to refill your propane cylinder during that time. We also pride ourselves on offering the most dependable propane delivery services in all of central Texas.

Contact us to become a Hill Gas customer today.