Thread: buying used forklift

occassional use it might be cheaper to hire one each time.
Is that an option? Kinda like a bobcat with forks perhaps.
lyle

The cost of buying a used one is only like $5000-$10,000, I can afford that.

With what I make and sell with my woodworking business, I need a forklift to load it onto a truck.
I have been doing it with an engine crane which I used to move machinery around in my workshop. but it takes time and not always straight forward with the engine crane.

Renting/Leasing or dealer before private buyer... unless you know what you are looking for at inspection time.
Also, how involved do you want to become when issues arise?

There are some important considerations when buying a fork. Terrain, weight, agility are probably the most important.
Normal forks don't perform well on rough, uneven surfaces like grass and uneven dirt. They require a smooth hard surface.
Weight is important in two forms; the weight of the fork in relation to your floor's capacity and also the weight the fork will be required to lift. The greater the capacity the dearer the fork.
Agility is the ability of the unit to maneuver in tight areas. This may or may not be important in your case. Also side shift is a handy feature when dealing with timber packs and accurate stack and stickering for drying.
As for buying and from who? Not much wriggle room with dealers but you get warranty. A machine
in good condition from a private seller in need of a quick sale may present a bargain. I picked up a $9k Nissan for $6k privately a few years back. It has never missed a beat and continues to give good service.

To add to rustynails comments. Level ground is also very, very important in the safe operation of a forklift. Training is relatively cheap and highly recommended.

Be safe
Cheers

Not sure what lengths of timber you tend to buy, or the clear width of the access doorway to your shop and path through the shop that the timber needs to take, but basically for stability, you transit the fork and load with the forks just clear of the floor, so to move say 3m long material you need at least 3m clear access from floor level to well above the load height, preferably at least 0.5m more to minimise having to back and fill. It is not safe to maneuverer the machine with the load raised above production machines, workbenches, to access the opposite end of the shop.

Because fork loads normally hang out in front of the forklift, the data plate that should be on the fork will indicate a maximum load and load centre. Load centre is the location of the centre of gravity of the pallet and load, relative to the mast position. Smaller counterbalance units generally have forks about 1200 long, mounted on a mast assembly about 600-800 forward of the centreline of the front (drive) axle. This class of unit tends to have a 'load centre' of 600mm or so, suggesting that the unit can safely handle the rated load weight provided that the load is evenly distributed along the 1200mm length of tines, or concentrated closer to the mast. If the load as packaged extends beyond the tines, even if supported by an adequate pallet system, or the load is concentrated toward the tips of the tines, the load centre will be forward of the rated position and the machine will be unstable laterally at the rated load, so the load capacity needs to be derated appropriately to maintain stability. Because of this, a 4t machine is more appropriate for handling 1.5t packs of 1800w sheet materials than a 2-2.5t machine is. (been there done that, quite fun trying to climb a shallow (1 in 50) ramp with a load like that and a machine that is seesawing.)

Not sure of the rules in NZ, but in Oz you need a forklift license to operate any ride on forklift. Walk behinds are exempt but severly limited in load capacity and load centre.

Hope these points help your planning.

Originally Posted by rustynail

There are some important considerations when buying a fork. Terrain, weight, agility are probably the most important.
Normal forks don't perform well on rough, uneven surfaces like grass and uneven dirt. They require a smooth hard surface.
Weight is important in two forms; the weight of the fork in relation to your floor's capacity and also the weight the fork will be required to lift. The greater the capacity the dearer the fork.
Agility is the ability of the unit to maneuver in tight areas. This may or may not be important in your case. Also side shift is a handy feature when dealing with timber packs and accurate stack and stickering for drying.
As for buying and from who? Not much wriggle room with dealers but you get warranty. A machine
in good condition from a private seller in need of a quick sale may present a bargain. I picked up a $9k Nissan for $6k privately a few years back. It has never missed a beat and continues to give good service.

My area is flat and concreted, I will only be using it to unload timber from flat deck onto the floor and load finished goods onto flat deck. The forklift wont even leave my driveway.

I am still learning about the forklift and its propriety system such as Toyota SAS...

Thanks for the comment/advice, I will keep an eye out for used but in good condition.

Originally Posted by malb

Not sure what lengths of timber you tend to buy, or the clear width of the access doorway to your shop and path through the shop that the timber needs to take, but basically for stability, you transit the fork and load with the forks just clear of the floor, so to move say 3m long material you need at least 3m clear access from floor level to well above the load height, preferably at least 0.5m more to minimise having to back and fill. It is not safe to maneuverer the machine with the load raised above production machines, workbenches, to access the opposite end of the shop.

Because fork loads normally hang out in front of the forklift, the data plate that should be on the fork will indicate a maximum load and load centre. Load centre is the location of the centre of gravity of the pallet and load, relative to the mast position. Smaller counterbalance units generally have forks about 1200 long, mounted on a mast assembly about 600-800 forward of the centreline of the front (drive) axle. This class of unit tends to have a 'load centre' of 600mm or so, suggesting that the unit can safely handle the rated load weight provided that the load is evenly distributed along the 1200mm length of tines, or concentrated closer to the mast. If the load as packaged extends beyond the tines, even if supported by an adequate pallet system, or the load is concentrated toward the tips of the tines, the load centre will be forward of the rated position and the machine will be unstable laterally at the rated load, so the load capacity needs to be derated appropriately to maintain stability. Because of this, a 4t machine is more appropriate for handling 1.5t packs of 1800w sheet materials than a 2-2.5t machine is. (been there done that, quite fun trying to climb a shallow (1 in 50) ramp with a load like that and a machine that is seesawing.)

Not sure of the rules in NZ, but in Oz you need a forklift license to operate any ride on forklift. Walk behinds are exempt but severly limited in load capacity and load centre.

Hope these points help your planning.

Thanks Malb.

I wont be lifting over work space, its just for off loading timber from a truck and finished goods onto a truck.

I know forklift is all about load centre and often it is the tip of the forklift that gets used. therefore its best to get a bigger forklift and know the load.

thanks again.

It sounds like an electric would be a good option but you seem to have decided against one for some reason.

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Yep moving stuff with an engine crane is a pain, if I had space for one I'd def consider getting one.

I'd definitely opt for a gas or an electric one (to be honest I've never seen a diesel one).

Diesel ones are messy and servicing can be quite expensive, plus if youre using it inside your shed unless you've got excellent ventilation its a bad idea to use a diesel one.

Also have you considered getting a pallet lifter instead?

something like this

http://acepalletracking.com.au/wp-co...195730_std.jpg
or an electric equivalent.

They're quite compact, and depending on the floor you're using on it can be quite easy to move around.

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

Also have you considered getting a pallet lifter instead?

something like this

http://acepalletracking.com.au/wp-co...195730_std.jpg
or an electric equivalent.

They're quite compact, and depending on the floor you're using on it can be quite easy to move around.

I got one of these when they first appeared about 50 years ago. They move really easily on a smooth floor when they are empty but the one that I got lasted exactly one truckload.

Once it was loaded with a pack of timber unless the floor was spotless, smooth, no sawdust, no cracks or other faults, it was impossible to manoeuvre it. The out rigger legs also lined up with the truck's wheels when you tried to balance the load.

It was immediately replaced with an electric one, that had wider out rigger legs that would straddle a pallet, and it was also used as a height adjustable feed in/out table for many years.

I'd go for Petrol/LPG dual fuel if I could. For the same reason I like it on my cars. When you're out of one you can switch to t'other and continue work while a gopher runs off to fill a jerry-can or refill the cylinder.

Assuming you're getting a mechanic to give it a look-over, the only other advice I have is to start it up and with only low revs start to raise the forks while also turning to hard steering lock one way or the other. If it labors and wants to stall out, personally I'd look elsewhere.

It's a characteristic of a few older forks and it's really, really irritating when it stalls out under that situation, even with revs up.