What to Look For in a Forklift ****Picture Added****

Ga_Boy · April 18, 2006, 07:46:02 AM

I'm getting ready to buy a forklift in the 8,000 to 10,000 pound range.

What should I look for in a used unit?

My yard is compacted gravel.

Quartlow · April 18, 2006, 08:20:22 AM

big tires!!!

small tires and gravel don't get along. Personally I would be looking for a telescoping boom forklift, Isn't it Bibby who has one? A terex if i remember right. Be nice to be able to reach out over and grab a log from the back without moving stuff in front.

From my rental industry days we had Skytaks, Lull's, Gradall and Gehl's All of them where good. My favorite was the Lull though. They where easy to work on and had great tech support.

sawguy21 · April 18, 2006, 09:11:45 AM

Along with making sure it starts and does not smoke excessively, give it a good inspection. Are the tires in good condition with no cuts in the sidewalls? Do the service and parking brakes work? This is really important. There should be no hydraulic leaks or frayed hoses and the mast should move up and down smoothly without bumping or twisting. Is there any play in the pins indicating excessive wear? Make sure the forks are not bent indicating it was overloaded or used as a hoist. Will it lift and hold a load without creeping? Abuse and lack of maintenance leading to mishaps are all too common.

DanG · April 19, 2006, 09:47:16 AM

One of those telescoping jobs would be nice for sure, but might be a bit pricey. On a conventional lift, look for one with big wheels. They aren't noted for handling rough terrain well, so the bigger the wheels, the better. Also, long forks are nice. The Hootiemobile's forks are only 42", so I can't reach the middle of most trailers. Side shift would be a really neat thing to have, too. Long logs are pretty much a balancing act, and side shift would make it easier to get centered right.

Gilman · April 19, 2006, 01:00:39 PM

1) How far will the forks tip down. Forklift like the Hyster H200 (20,000k) lean really far forward, making dumping slabs off the forks really handy.

2) My forklift repairman told me to stay away from hydrostatic drives, if the transmission goes out the forklift has 0 value.

3) Make sure it isn't a gray market.

Ga_Boy · April 19, 2006, 03:39:17 PM

What is a gray market?

Captain · April 19, 2006, 04:18:04 PM

I like my IR BL375 with forks just fine......lifts over 4000 lbs. Grapple is next...

Captain

Dan_Shade · April 19, 2006, 04:35:17 PM

gray market is "made in china" or whatnot. works OK, but replacement/repair parts are very difficult, if not impossible, to find.

sawguy21 · April 19, 2006, 07:51:00 PM

Dan is right, grey market products are cheap copies of brand names. The Chinese are promising to respect international patent and trademark agreements and crack down on bootleggers but we shall see.

scsmith42 · April 19, 2006, 09:54:18 PM

Before you buy it, run it long enough to get the motor and hydraulics good and warm. Make sure that it will pick up the rated capacity when it is HOT (and the fluid is thin). Also make sure that the power steering will turn ok, hot and with a full load. Often when the hydraulics get weak the first sign is weak steering.

Big tires a must, in addition to the side shift having the ability to hydraulically change the fork width is very nice. Any "offroad" forklift will have large tires.

Very important - can you see the ends of your forks in your typical operating positions? Believe it or not I've seen forklifts where the back plane was so large you couldn't see the forks! This made operation a real pain.

Drive it at full speed. Is the steering tight and does it track well?

Re Gray Market - this also refers to forklifts that are from other countries but were not manufactured for export to the USA. Getting parts, repair manuels, etc can be difficult if not impossible.

I would stay away from Caterpillar forklifts - not their core competancy and not a good machine

ScottAR · April 20, 2006, 12:44:07 AM

My experience comes from warehouse lifts but some of it applies.

Controls must be comfortable to use. Spring ride seats are ***NICE***.
Stay away from lifts that have had hydraulic attachments on them such as clamps or slip sheet toters... I guarantee the engine was wide open while the attachment was used as lift drivers are in a constant hurry. I always was and I was one of the slower drivers.

Try to get a machine with independant brakes/clutch pedals. Way easier to use on inclines. Combo pedals will have you rolling into trucks and merchandise.

Cat's warehouse lifts are made by Mitsubishi.

Ga_Boy · April 20, 2006, 06:34:04 AM

I have found a Hyster 8,000 pound truck. Standard mast, I do not need to lift any higher than my trailer or kiln cart; at least for now.

This one does not have side shift, I do not think I can afford a side shift unit now, those are in the 15-18K range.

The motor in this unit was just replaced by Hyster with a rebuilt engine and converted to propane, so the propane system is new.

The dealer will let me use it for 3 days before I buy it. It has dual tires on the lift end. It has 42" forks so I will have them put langer forks on it, I want to be able to reach the middle of my trailer. It will be nice to load/unload my trailer much faster than before. The last load of logs I brought in were from a customers where the tree service loaded me. It took an hour to get that thing unloaded by hand. I let the tree guys put a nasty crotch log on top. That thing did not want to come off the top. With a lift unloading will be a snap.

I just wish I had the room for a 20,000 pound lift. It sure would be nice to move those 60" diameter logs. oh well maybe in a few more years.

sawguy21 · April 20, 2006, 09:29:03 AM

Be careful of the weight with longer forks or extensions. The steering gets reeeeeal light in a hurry.

ScottAR · April 21, 2006, 12:43:53 AM

Yessir, Lifts will pick up more if your going forward than if you need to back up. Trouble is, you usually can't see where your going... :D :D

Start easy when backing up...

Mental excercise when moving tall things... get a empty paper towel roll and place it end ways on your palm. Now, walk around the room.

If you drop it, you have to pick up 10,000 little plastic bowls....
For the record, takes about an hour... :-\

maple flats · April 21, 2006, 06:30:15 PM

Mark, What size are the tires? You will find that on gravel you need big diameter for an OK ride, bumps will dump the load. Double tires may give you floatation but do not help on smothening the ride. If needed can you add more weight easily on the steer end? If you will be lifting HEAVY this might be a consideration. Good luck, If you buy it we need pictures.

Ga_Boy · April 21, 2006, 09:13:20 PM

The Hyster Dealer delovered my forklift this morning.

As soon as the rain stops I'll post some pictures.

This thing can pick up those big White Oak logs I got last week. 8) 8)

DanG · April 21, 2006, 11:22:30 PM

You're gonna like it, Mark! All that side-shift and stuff like that is just niceties. Bottom line is, you can pick up whatever you can haul in. You'll drop a few logs from time to time, but the trick is to be careful where you drop'em. If I'm loading a biggun onto the mill, I'll throw a chain around it, just to make sure. ;)

oakiemac · April 23, 2006, 08:18:27 AM

I don't know...but before you buy a straight forklift you might want to look at other options that might be more versitile. A small wheeled loader with bucket and forks would be real handy although price might be steep.
I bought a skidsteer which is large enough to pick up 95% of the logs I come across and I get some big uns. Ask Jeff about the size of the logs in my yard. With the skidsteer I can move sawdust, load logs, load trucks, move slabs. I can take it in the woods to skid ( I know there is better machines for skidding but it works). I can move snow, manure and do light excavating with it. It is all terrian and almost never gets stuck. Unless my 16 year old drives it through the muck after a heavy rain.
Don't know if this is right for you but you might want to look at all options.

Ironwood · April 26, 2006, 12:53:32 AM

NEVER MET A FORKLIFT I DIDN'T LIKE!!!!

14,000-8,000-5,000. Couldn't do with out them. Reid

Ga_Boy · April 27, 2006, 11:38:22 AM

Well I got pictures of my forklift but my high speed connection got cut by the paving contractor. Even after I uncoverd the line on each end where it crossed the drive way.

Oh well Comcast will be out in a day or so to fix it.

Pictures are coming.