Forklift Opinions?

[cr0ntab]

Hey All,

I want to get a small forklift for the property, but I know next to nothing about them.

I'd like to stay under $3,000, but if an extra $500 will get me something much better than I'd rather "buy once, cry once"

It'll be only outdoors and everything is either paved or concrete.

I think I want a 3 stage lift so I can at least reach the top of my 5th wheel.

I don't envision myself lifting anything more than 3k pounds, it's mainly for a second set of hands when lifting stuff.

I found a few craigslist options, but i'm unsure if they're good deals or not?

$1850, but I can probably get them down

HYSTER FORKLIFT - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

HYSTER Forklift drives and operates excellent good for small business three stage propane, tanks, included box counterweight no problem 1900 OBO is located in Downey in our warehouse cash only had...

losangeles.craigslist.org

$1800, has a leak, I can probably get them down a little bit

Hyster Forklift - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

Hyster forklift. 5000 lb capacity. 8100 hours approx.

inlandempire.craigslist.org

This jumps up in price range, but i'm not sure if it's a good value or not?

$3500

***FOR SALE***Clark 5,000lb capacity Forklift - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

****FORKLIFT FOR SALE**** Clark GPS30MB 5,000lb Capacity Forklift. 5285 hrs. Runs Good. Oldie but Goodie. $3,500. Delivery Available.

inlandempire.craigslist.org

Lastly, one that keeps catching my eye because it's cheap and seems like a fun? project haha

$900

CLARK FORKLIFT c500-30: Automatic Double Mast, Propane 4000lb - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

Double-mast Clark Forklift, 4000lb lift capacity. Easy to operate, gas, brake and two levers (up/down and front/back). It was always very reliable then one day it cranked but it wouldn't turn over....

sandiego.craigslist.org

What are the group thoughts?

 

[isb cornbinder]

If I were in your position, I would 100% call a local fork-lift service business and ask if they know of any good deals. I would be more interested is having a FL that can get off the pavement. Tell the service company your heart's desire. They may have what you want, looking for a new home.

 

[The Cobbler]

make sure it stops with the brakes, the park brake holds , no oil leaks ,
side shift is nice, as is automatic, power steering.
there's probably a lot more to it but that's where I would start.
if you don't need certification, that helps in that you don't need a perfect machine. but you still want it safe
as far as the non running, " could be electrical, could be a bad engine"... I would want to spend some time on that one before I committed to buying it. " it's probably a major repair and could easily be a money pit

 

[cr0ntab]

If I were in your position, I would 100% call a local fork-lift service business and ask if they know of any good deals. I would be more interested is having a FL that can get off the pavement. Tell the service company your heart's desire. They may have what you want, looking for a new home.

Hmm good idea, I never thought of this.

I'll make some calls on Monday.

 

[Sumboodie]

You using it on dirt? Will want one with air filled tires.
Those tiny solid tires barely can go on wet concrete, never mind gravel.

I have a Mitsubishi 5k. Have about $2.5k into it between purchase and fixing a few things. Best thing was tire chains, and even then it gets stuck easy.

 

[cr0ntab]

You using it on dirt? Will want one with air filled tires.
Those tiny solid tires barely can go on wet concrete, never mind gravel.

No dirt, everything is either concrete or asphalt.

 

[The Cobbler]

It'll be only outdoors and everything is either paved or concrete.

You using it on dirt? Will want one with air filled tires.

 

[Sumboodie]

No dirt, everything is either concrete or asphalt.

Snow? I have a solid tire one at work. It'll do a crazy burnout, even when trying not to, just on wet concrete.
It's got almost zero traction.

 

[cr0ntab]

Snow? I have a solid tire one at work. It'll do a crazy burnout, even when trying not to, just on wet concrete.
It's got almost zero traction.

I'm in Southern California.

Best we can do is some light frost right before sunup.

 

[Sumboodie]

I'm in Southern California.

Best we can do is some light frost right before sunup.

It's -15* here. I was surprised Mr forkface fired up this morning, everything else has given me trouble.

 

[The Cobbler]

snow is an enemy of indoor rated forklifts too, you need a flat surface, take it easy ,a nd hope for the best .
I unloaded 7 skids a few days ago on 2" of wet snow. the place had been plowed and we shovelled the pad at our door. by the last few skids the wet stuff was really compacted and was getting slippery . had to be very careful not to spin the tires, and not turn too tight or fast .

 

[Wamsutta]

I would recommend Allis-Chalmers if they were still in business. They used to make a sweet little 4-cylinder diesel forklift.

 

[IndyGarage]

If you have some mechanical capability, a forklift is a pretty simple device.

They have a small engine. A heavy duty transaxle, brakes on the front wheels, and hydraulic system for the lift and tilt.

Things to look for:

1. Leaks - Hoses are easy to replace, leaks in lift or tilt cylinders are harder, and the most common and hardest is a leak between the engine and the transmission. That one is not really hard to replace but the engine has to come out.
2. Features - Power steering is desirable - and will be there on anything built in the last 25 years. Side shift is nice, but a diyer can get by without.
3. Brakes - most of the older ones seem to have bad brakes.
4. Size vs. capacity. Smaller is better. Newer is usually smaller.
5. Mast height. Triple will put something up 15 feet in the air. Double will go about 9-10. Single is limited to about 5 feet lift.

Make sure it comes with a propane tank if it is propane - many of the owners keep the tank.

I'd say of the four you show - the first three are similar. Of those, I'd pick the first one. The last one is an older clark with a flathead 4 cyl. It may or may not have power steering. I had one just like it and it was an easy fix - it had a stuck valve. Took the head off and tapped the valve loose and it worked great. Me I would go for it and get it running - probably in a couple hours.

 

[Ilikeike]

Side shift !!!

At least if you ever place equipment or fine tune placement

 

[iagsxr]

No dirt, everything is either concrete or asphalt.

I would still get pneumatic tires. Or take a solid-tired one for a drive across a parking lot and see how much you hate it.

As mentioned, power side shift.

I have a Clark GPS25. In reality it's a worn out POS, but still the most useful thing in my shop.

 

[MushCreek]

Just be careful of projects. I once bought a 6K Yale at an auction for $350. I got it running, but it had no brakes at all. The price for the parts to fix it was breathtaking, to put it mildly. It also had more leaks than a box of puppies, too.

 

[IndyGarage]

I would still get pneumatic tires. Or take a solid-tired one for a drive across a parking lot and see how much you hate it.

As mentioned, power side shift.

I have a Clark GPS25. In reality it's a worn out POS, but still the most useful thing in my shop.

Pneumatic tires are a trade-off. Usually the capacity is lower on them, and they can be more tippy. If you have all concrete and asphalt I would take a hard tire (they call them cushion tires) over pneumatic.

 

[IndyGarage]

Just be careful of projects. I once bought a 6K Yale at an auction for $350. I got it running, but it had no brakes at all. The price for the parts to fix it was breathtaking, to put it mildly. It also had more leaks than a box of puppies, too.

I've had about a dozen forklifts or more. Most of the time the brakes don't work right, however it's not because they are worn out, it's because they don't get used much and the machines sit. In my experience just taking them apart, adjusting and getting things moving again is all it takes most of the time.

 

[Rinspeed]

I've ran them all and prefer Toyota. No ideas if Hyster is still in business because I never hear anything about them. Our riggers have several Hyster and I've used most of them. Just a thought, if any of them you are looking at need brakes the repair companies want a small fortune to replace them.

 

[Mr_B]

Really a case of go look at 2 or 3 you seen and draw conclusions from knowledge gained from viewing/inspecting them .
Brakes are normally easiest thing resolve, hydraulic issues and engine/drive issues can eat big coin .
You can get a good idea how used it is by wear on main use control levers and seat .
Side shift is about one thing I consider a must, in some ways more so for infrequent users and versatility/ease of use .
Solid tyres should be fine on OP's surface conditions, worth making sure tyres look pretty good and not rotted hard garbage, ones with some decent tread pattern tend be better in terms of traction .
When I bought one brand was unimportant as condition/features/price won the final purchase on what viewed in a fairly local area .
You start looking for one specific brand and you can miss out on a nice clean machine or total steal deal .
You also never know what truly good until go view/inspect.
Buying anything with issues you best triple your first assumption or repair cost to be safe, some parts are just stupid money and hard source good used part .

 

[IndyGarage]

I've ran them all and prefer Toyota. No ideas if Hyster is still in business because I never hear anything about them. Our riggers have several Hyster and I've used most of them. Just a thought, if any of them you are looking at need brakes the repair companies want a small fortune to replace them.

For home shop use, all the brands are fine. I would probably stay away from something really old - Allis Chalmers, Towmotor, etc. If you buy something 15-25 years old it won't be electrically complicated, but they have a much better feel than something older than 30 years.

 

[Sumboodie]

Sideshift is handy, makes things go quicker, but can easily do without if you don't **** at operating.
I'm so used to running non side shift machines I often don't even think to use it on machines that have it.

Pneumatic tires are a trade-off. Usually the capacity is lower on them, and they can be more tippy. If you have all concrete and asphalt I would take a hard tire (they call them cushion tires) over pneumatic.

True.

We have 2 5k forklifts, one wind tires, the other solid.
The solid one will pick up 5.5k lbs without fuss. The wind tire will but it squashes the tires bad and can barely steer.

 

[Shoreline_]

Pneumatic tires? For home use who cares. The posts here are ridiculous. Buy the cheapest pos from Craigslist. As long as it starts and lifts. You're going to run it 3 minutes a month. Who cares if it doesn't have brakes. Drive slow(er). We've ran our forklift with a zero charge alternator for years. When the battery goes too low we just charge it and it last another 6 months. FYI towmotors and other use continental engines which are super easy to find parts for.

 

[RMERR]

I had an older catapillar T50-D. Brakes were terrible but as mentioned so pricey I couldn't do it. I stopped by putting my foot into the brake hard at the same time pulling on the emergency brake. Got by for years like that.

A second thought I'd offer is that the double mast is a really nice thing to have regardless of what machine you buy. The added visibility is a huge plus. Just look at the first ad you posted and picture yourself sitting in it and trying to see what's in front of you.

 

[iagsxr]

Pneumatic tires? For home use who cares. The posts here are ridiculous. Buy the cheapest pos from Craigslist. As long as it starts and lifts. You're going to run it 3 minutes a month. Who cares if it doesn't have brakes. Drive slow(er). We've ran our forklift with a zero charge alternator for years. When the battery goes too low we just charge it and it last another 6 months. FYI towmotors and other use continental engines which are super easy to find parts for.

I don't know anyone with an operational forklift that uses it three minutes a month. More like once you get one you use it for everything.

Guess I've never had trouble squashing pneumatic tires either. I mean I've had the steer tires off the ground due to the weight on the forks. The drive tires weren't phased by it.

Of the ones in the OP's original post I like the Hyster and the Clark.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I guess I'm in the "get the most capable machine you can afford" camp. Pneumatic tires are so much more versatile even if the roughest surface you ever traverse is gravel. Once you have a capable lift you'll probably be looking to add attachments and find all kinds of unanticipated uses for it. Ed.

 

[IndyGarage]

I don't know anyone with an operational forklift that uses it three minutes a month. More like once you get one you use it for everything.

Guess I've never had trouble squashing pneumatic tires either. I mean I've had the steer tires off the ground due to the weight on the forks. The drive tires weren't phased by it.

Of the ones in the OP's original post I like the Hyster and the Clark.

Agreed. I run mine every week or so, but the run time can be anything from 10 minutes to a couple hours. Probably the quickest thing I do is pull a skid off a delivery truck every once in awhile. Still that's not 3 minutes. Most everything else is at least 30 minutes.

It's the one tool that allows you to do way more in your shop than you can do without it: Move trailers, move non running cars, move machines and equipment.

They are pretty easy to fix, but don't count on hiring someone to fix it for you. If you do, you will get industrial pricing on the repair which is $$$.

 

[iagsxr]

It's the one tool that allows you to do way more in your shop than you can do without it: Move trailers, move non running cars, move machines and equipment.

At my old shop I had a big steel plate that went on the forks of my forklift. It spent a lot of time being used as a height adjustable welding /fab table.

Made a work platform for it. Drive it to my car wash to service a boom and hoses that are 14' in the air. Heck, I throw the platform on it just to clean the gutters on my shop.

It's one of those tools that it's uses are about only limited by your imagination.

 

[Sumboodie]

I don't know anyone with an operational forklift that uses it three minutes a month. More like once you get one you use it for everything.

Guess I've never had trouble squashing pneumatic tires either. I mean I've had the steer tires off the ground due to the weight on the forks. The drive tires weren't phased by it.

Of the ones in the OP's original post I like the Hyster and the Clark.

I never noticed till using the solid tire one to lift the same stuff. Squash I mean like maybe 2"

 

[Sumboodie]

Agreed. I run mine every week or so, but the run time can be anything from 10 minutes to a couple hours. Probably the quickest thing I do is pull a skid off a delivery truck every once in awhile. Still that's not 3 minutes. Most everything else is at least 30 minutes.

It's the one tool that allows you to do way more in your shop than you can do without it: Move trailers, move non running cars, move machines and equipment.

They are pretty easy to fix, but don't count on hiring someone to fix it for you. If you do, you will get industrial pricing on the repair which is $$$.

One at work had fuel system issues. Have over 5k into it at this point.
I told them may as well put it in the lake and ill find something that works for that much!

 

[Sumboodie]

At my old shop I had a big steel plate that went on the forks of my forklift. It spent a lot of time being used as a height adjustable welding /fab table.

Made a work platform for it. Drive it to my car wash to service a boom and hoses that are 14' in the air. Heck, I throw the platform on it just to clean the gutters on my shop.

It's one of those tools that it's uses are about only limited by your imagination.

Yup. I once rigged up strings to operate the lever to go up and down.

 

[Sumboodie]

Here's 2 of mine.

 

[IndyGarage]

At my old shop I had a big steel plate that went on the forks of my forklift. It spent a lot of time being used as a height adjustable welding /fab table.

Made a work platform for it. Drive it to my car wash to service a boom and hoses that are 14' in the air. Heck, I throw the platform on it just to clean the gutters on my shop.

It's one of those tools that it's uses are about only limited by your imagination.

I hadn't thought about the welding table, that's a good one.

I used mine as a giant slide hammer a couple months ago to pull out a dent in a car. It instantly moved the metal.

I'd like to figure out how I can use the lift of the forks to create an easy horizontal pulling force. I could probably figure out how to rig a ****** block to the base of the mast and just use a cable tied to the forks.

I'd also like to figure out a jig that I could use it to straighten or bend metal.

 

[Mr_B]

I've used them with a skid as a work table
never though of putting flat plate on them as a welding fab table, that be pretty handy in the yard at times .
They are super useful in a workshop/yard environment .
Another option consider depending exactly on what you intend lift and environment you using it in is a tractor with front loader, can be cheap and have lot of addon options .

 

[Maddog3355]

I would steer clear of Hyster they are the biggest POS out there. We run them because we have to but for 15 towmotors we have 1 full time rolling stock mechanic and have to come the equipment company mechanic in a couple times a month. We have on average 3 go down every week from leaks and they rest need plugs. These are all on propane and we can’t keep plugs in them. We have 2 Toyotas that never need worked on and before that we had Clark’s and they were bulletproof.

 

[Shoreline_]

I don't know anyone with an operational forklift that uses it three minutes a month. More like once you get one you use it for everything.

Guess I've never had trouble squashing pneumatic tires either. I mean I've had the steer tires off the ground due to the weight on the forks. The drive tires weren't phased by it.

Of the ones in the OP's original post I like the Hyster and the Clark.

Well I'm Bryan. I have a forklift for home use. And I use mine a maximum of 5 minutes a month on average. There ya go bro. Now you know someone.

 

[Caa311]

Everyone at my job perfers the toyotas also

 

[Caa311]

I would steer clear of Hyster they are the biggest POS out there. We run them because we have to but for 15 towmotors we have 1 full time rolling stock mechanic and have to come the equipment company mechanic in a couple times a month. We have on average 3 go down every week from leaks and they rest need plugs. These are all on propane and we can’t keep plugs in them. We have 2 Toyotas that never need worked on and before that we had Clark’s and they were bulletproof.

Where do you work? I have never heard anyone call them towmotors outside of my job.

 

[The Cobbler]

TowMotors were a name brand for lift trucks like Kleenex is to facial tissue and aspirin is to ASA

 

[Caa311]

Interesting, I thought it might be a carryover from the way they were used in the past.