So, I need a forklift (Buying Advice Requested)

Hey, guys!

So, as I'm spending more and more time in the shop, and working on larger and larger projects, I've decided to go ahead and buy a secondhand forklift, for safety and productivity reasons...

And as I've used a couple of forklifts, one a fair amount of hours, but never have bought one, I've got a few questions that I wanted to ask, and see if anyone could answer:

1) What should I expect to pay for a 3000 or 5000 pound capacity unit, used, in good shape?
2) If I get one with "smooth" tires, could I easily convert it to "offroad" tires?
3) Anything in particular I should look for, when i inspect a used one? Or if everything works as it should, then it should be fine?

Looking for a nice little Japanese machine. I'm initially somewhat scared by the concept of having something thats battery powered, that sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. Any insight is appreciated...

Battery powered is fine. Just maintain the battery as you would any other lead-acid battery. Make sure the charger will run on your available power--many are three phase only. Just my opinion, but I think gas or LP units are smoother and easier to control loads. As far as tires are concerned, don't worry about it. If you need to go off a hard surface(asphalt or concrete)you need a rough terrain unit. Solid tire forklifts are HEAVY and if not designed for outside use they sink like a stone even on a fairly solid gravel drive. We spent considerable time at the plant on several occasions pulling one out of a soft spot with the company truck. Hydraulics are relatively simple but subject to the usual leakage issues. Be sure whatever you get that parts are available.

What kind of terrain do you want to use it on.
Most forklifts (even with a off road type tire) will get stuck on uneven terrain.
With no suspension a drive wheel can get poor traction very easily and you are now stuck.

Or are you talking about getting a rough terrain forklift that is essentially a tractor with forks.

Lanse
Nothing scientific, just observations gained from 40+ years in the freight business.
1- I have seen used units ~10 years old listed on C L for ~$5000.
2- No. Solid tire, aka "cushion tires" normally are ~12" diameter. No side sway on paved floors, but useless as a hog on ice if used on gravel surface.
Pneumatic tires are normally ~24" diameter, just won't fit in the space allowed.
Except for dual wheel "yard trucks", total width will be under 40", to fit through a pallet space.
For use on paved surfaces, "3 wheeler" usually turns shorter, but all the weight on one wheel will make it sink quickly on soft ground. For use off paved surface, a wide stance "4 wheeler" is much better.
Side shift option is very handy. With a little practice, can position load within 1/4" or closer to where you want it.
Stay away from diesel power unless you expect to run it steady for a couple hours at a time. Short use just won't let it get thouroughly warmed up, & stinks like the devil if run inside a closed shop. Propane probably best bet. Most electrics come only with solid tires, not easy to convert to air tires for outside use.
HTH
Willie

I worked for a Millwright and Manlift company, Battery powered forklifts were banned from the property. They were not willing to chance it with all the welding and fabrication going on. Batteries charging make hydrogen, welders make sparks, sparks and hydrogen make large booms.

BIL needed a 10k forklift. He found many nice ones on craigslist.

If you'll be going off pavement, go with a rough terrain model. They will work on both surfaces The low profile, solid tire models will not go off pavement. Even uneven surfaces, like tapered thresholds, ramps etc, give them fits!

Size the lift to the size of your shop. A 2500-3000lb model is much more maneuverable than a 5000lb. Unless you really need the extra lift capacity, go small for a small shop. The small lifts are harder to find. People tend to hang on to them longer.

My preference would be a propane model, gas 2nd, electric 3rd, diesel last unless you can leave the door open or use it mostly outdoors. But the real determining factor would be what I can find, afford, and what condition it is in.

Things to look for, just like any other piece of equipment... Outward appearance means little. Be equally weary of "steam clean and spray paint" rebuilds! Oil leaks are the typical indicator of condition, weather they be hydraulics or drive train, if it's leaving an oil trail, it will soon need repair. But then, sounds like you will be only using it occasionally, and likely you will be the only operator, so no need spending $7000 when $1500 will do you well for many years.

I think Toyota makes a pretty good forklift. Get a 3 wheel forklift with a triple mast with sideshift. The triple mast likely doesn't matter much to you, but is nice for high lifts, if you think that may ever be a requirement. The 3 wheel forklifts are something else for maneuverability. The wheel will turn a full 90 degrees, and the drive tires will turn opposite directions, in such a way that it can put some zero turn mowers to shame. If your only going on gravel now and again, the solid wheel models will work. All the time, you may want to consider an air type tire.

Just be aware that the propane models emit as many harmful exhaust gases as a regular gas engine; you just can't smell the pollutants from the propane like you can from a gas engine, so be careful of running it too long in a closed shop.

As has been said, if a situation arises that requires you to run off concrete floor, you need an off road lift.

I know it is Diesel, but this type is something to look at for off road.

http://ottumwa.craigslist.org/hvo/4988147611.html

There were a couple places called Wholesale Tool one store in Oklahoma and one store in Michigan, They sold nice 3600 pound Toyota factory rebuilt for s price something like the price of good used. They also had good buys on expendable tools such as drill bits and clamps.

I'd look into a genie the one on the farm I work has one its one of the most handiest things on the farm the one we have has a 5000 pound lift capacity the boom extends out pretty far and is all wheel steer it is diesel and haven't had much problems with it

I started out with a 5K Hyster gas, 2 stage, and soft duals. Hyds were poor and duals were too wide for close quarters but helped some outside. Now have a 10K LP, 3 stage, single soft tires, side shift, and better hyd. It is a XL Hyster. For lifting machinery and seed containers, you need 3 stage and at least an 8K. Lift but do not push or pull a lot with them. They are like a loader. How did I do without it?

Lanse: you're typically not going to be able to retrofit pneumatic tires on a lift with solid tires--they're designed for the solid tire, and there will not be enough room to fit a pneumatic tire in the space you have, plus ground clearance on these units is measured in inches, and not many inches at that--they're totally designed for working on a solid floor. I wouldn't be too worried about USING a battery powered lift around electrical stuff--it's done millions of times every day worldwide, and the technology is hardly new or untested. However, it's typically required to CHARGE them away from combustion sources.

If you have never got a fork lift stuck you are missing a treat... A stuck fork lift is a whale. If you have pavement are concrete most any will work for you. I have quick attach on my loader tractor I use the forks almost daily I don't know how I got along with out pallet forks... The pass few weeks in what little spare time I have I have been building a heavy table for my mill drill it was nice to do most of the work on it while it was on the forks and when I needed the space to move it out under the shed. I did not bend over to build it are paint it I raised are lowered it to a convenient level... You will really like the ability to do this...

Lanse

You will never regret getting a forklift. If you are going to be off concrete any to speak of and any at all with a load get a Rough Terrain unit. Forget about using an hard tired one off pavement. Don't remember if you still have a tractor or not but a attachment for a tractor is a option just watch what you lift. Nother idea and this is what I did first is get a mast off a old shelled out electric or gasser and rework it for a tractor. One word of caution when mounting on a tractor is you need to counterweight it somehow. I have mine on a JD 3020 with a loader. When doing heavy lifting I just scoop up some gravel from my stockpile and that does the trick. Also if you are gonna do a retrofit a mast with wheels on the bottom is helpful.

One problem with either a rough terrain or tractor mounted is they are a bit of a lummox in the shop.

jm2cw

jt

I used to work for an equipment dealer and I used a Yale I think it was, it had solid tires and I believe a ford propane engine, I had to stack arctic cat snowmobiles outside in the winter, if you just got on some ice or snow, that thing was just like a chunk of lead, it would not move anywhere, I can't say how many times we pulled it with an atv, if you not on a dry hard surface, then get something else.

The others have given some good suggestions in regard to a forklift. I've got a small, solid tire, 2500 lb Hyster that I use in the shop, and a larger, 6000 lb V60B CAT, with dual pneumatic tires in the front, that I can use outside when it's dry enough that it doesn't sink.

I can tell you from experience that one with solid tires won't be worth much to you if you get off a solid surface. As far as pneumatic tired models go, unless you get one of the ones with the BIG tires ((like a backwards tractor, which many older ones were)) even the typical pneumatic models aren't worth much unless you are on solid, at least semi flat, ground.

My suggestion, if you don't need a really high lift capacity is to go with a skid steer. If you check out Bobcat's site, you'll see that an old 743 has around a 2600 lb capacity. You can often find one of the older skid steers, regardless of brands, for about the same price you can find a forklift with the same capacity.

With the skid steer you'll have the abilty to go pretty much anywhere you want with the load when using it with forks, as well as using it for other things when you need to. Believe me, I've got the two lifts, as well as a 3500 Ford with both a backhoe and forks on the front, and I would rather have a skid steer with forks over all of them. I can say this because I have had skid steers here to work on quite a few times, and they have been far more useful to me when it comes to getting stuff moved around than all of the other machines combined. In fact I don't own a machine, but bought a set of forks to keep here just to be able to make use of ((and test out...LOL)) the machines when I get done working on them.

I'm not saying that all of the other machines don't have their uses, but each is more or less in a niche, and limited in what it's useful for, while the skid steer seems more able to do it all, at least in my experience.

Almost forgot. I have also seen a mast attachment for a skid steer, that hooked to the quick attach plate, that gave the machine the same lift height capability you'd get with a regular forklift. That would be something worth looking into if you found you needed the extra height.

Lanse the other fellows have covered the tire issue well. The electric lifts work fine and are handy if your doing a lot of stop and go stuff. Just so you know a used electric lift will sell cheaper than what the new battery for it will cost. I have a Hester 50 electric for in the shop. It will lift 5000 LBS, is a three stage lift and has larger tires. I bought it for $3500 with a bad battery but just rebuilt mast. The battery was $5000 for it. Even with the larger tires it is made for solid surfaces. This is well packed gravel , concrete or black top. Just about anything else and your stuck.

I have had a 4500 lb Yale for over 25 years and I can't imagine being without it. It is an indoor hard tire unit but I have used it outside on my well compacted gravel driveway PLENTY! You just have to be smarter than the lift! I even took it up my steep gravel driveway to use it to lift a corner of my barn. The only time I got it stuck was when I dropped through the deck of a flat bed truck that was delivering fertilizer.

Another thing to think about is what happens as the lift goes up. Some of them, the 'rails' (?) start rising out of the top of the mast as soon as the forks start going up. That means that the inner mast comes out of outer mast before the forks are up there so you can hit the ceiling before your forks are even half way up. That makes it difficult to raise stuff in low overhead conditions. I've seen a few doorways get hammered by people who forgot this thinking they had lots of clearance because the load was only a few feet off the ground.

Otherwise for general purpose work I'd choose propane and, like tractors, something without computers.

phil n

(quoted from post at 18:53:43 04/26/15) Just be aware that the propane models emit as many harmful exhaust gases as a regular gas engine; you just can't smell the pollutants from the propane like you can from a gas engine, so be careful of running it too long in a closed shop.

As has been said, if a situation arises that requires you to run off concrete floor, you need an off road lift.

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A properly tuned LP engine in good shape will operate much cleaner than a gasoline engine. Very littler will come out the exhaust other than water vapor and carbon dioxide. The main problem then if running in an enclosed area is using up the oxygen. That will affect the engine efficiency and it may then start emitting carbon monoxide. If you can smell the exhaust it is not running cleanly