Well I sold my 2 post Car lift because I didn't have the garage height to actually install and use it. Well I'm thinking about getting a forklift to use around the house. I've thought to myself tons of times man this would be alot easier with a forklift or something. Well I'm gonna go check one out tomorrow and possibly buy it since its pretty much the same price I just sold my lift for.

My question is you guys that have them do you find like tons of extra uses for them? If so any examples?

Also I have a 16' trailer with a 2' Dove on the back. (normal car trailer height). Do these things load pretty easy on a trailer with break over angle and stuff?

Btw I'm looking at a propane lift with a 5k capacity. Not sure how many stages it has and what tires it has. (solid or pnematic) I want pnematic. It it hard to find pnematic tires and wheels if they are solid? expensive? They said the Ebrake doesn't work but everything else runs and works great. It's been in a warehouse for its life.

Thanks.

Thx.

I have a 4000lb pneumatic tire forklift. It loads pretty easily but be careful they're really heavy. Mines 9000lb. Luckily my trailer is rated for 14,000.

Wow that's heavier than I would have thought... I was expecting like 3-5k max.

I have some real horror stories trying to get forklifts on trailers with bad breakover angles or unsuitable ramps, or both. Based on my experiences to ensure you get it on the trailer with the least hassle I would recommend:

If your ramps are constructed with a flange facing up I would cut wood to fill the channel

I would put a jack under the trailer hitch of the tow rig and raise it up as far as possible to reduce the breakover angle

I would have a powerful winch or chainfall on the trailer, not some little 2k harbor freight thing.

I would bring a lot of extra cribbing and jacks

You may find it easier to back it on the trailer

You may want to put some cribbing under the ramps in the middle

You may want to put some cribbing under the rear of the trailer

If it is raining and the ramps surface is wet it can get very ugly, wipe the ramps dry and have some sand or non skid stuff handy.

I once witnessed a guy repeatly trying to go up slippery ramps in the rain, on the last try he hit the ramps full speed, a foot from getting on the trailer the wheels spun, the fork slid off the ramps, and tipped over on its side. The tow truck driver pulled it up straight which resulted in the ramp being bent to fuck, the trailer frame tweaked, and hyd lines being broken.

Think about it, if it is rated for 5K it certainly isn't going to weigh less than that.

I rented one a couple weeks ago to do some stuff my Bobcat with pallet forks just wouldn't touch - a ton of surface plate for one...

For 95% of what I do, the Bobcat is great. Plus it does all sorts of digging related chores. The forklift beat it hands down in capacity, though - 1500 to 5000. Lifting height also went to the lift.

The only problem I had with the forklift was traction. I have a gravel driveway and the forklift didn't like that. I did what I needed to, but it required some futzing around. It also rained a bit while I was working and then I had some trouble getting into the shop while loaded because there is a slight lip at the door. The back tires on the lift would catch and then the front tires would just spin. I had to back up and give it a running start.

I'd recommend doing what I did before I bought my Bobcat. Rent one for a weekend and see what all you can do with it. After renting the forklift, if I had unlimited storage space I'd probably add one of them to my arsenal as well.

If you don't have hard surface to run on outside of your shop you should not even bother looking at solid tires.

This will not be something you can just scoot out across your yard on and do some lifting "around the farm".

Yeah solid tire warehouse style lifts arent good for driving on anything but a hard surface. They get stuck REALLY easy even on compacted baserock or compacted dirt.

Ditto. I'd love a forklift but they're only useful on concrete or hard, predictable surfaces. Since I don't have room in the shop to just park a forklift I'd opt for a tractor, Bobcat, or backhoe first. Actually I'd love a Skytrak or similar construction forklift, but too much $$$ for as little as I'd use it.

As it is I work the hell out of my little Kubota tractor, and w a 1000lb max lift it's frequently inadequate. Still I'd get a bigger tractor or backhoe before I'd consider a forklift; that's just me.

once you get a forklift , you'll wonder how you ever got by without it, but after moving a electric Clark carloader ( made in the 40's and designed for loading munitions onto rail cars ) onto our flatbed car hauler and having it break through the 2x10 planks in transport, thus causing the chains to loosen, then snap and basically "self unload" on the hill in front of our house and feeling the helpless feeling you get when you look into the rear view mirror and see the forklift falling off the dovetail , knocking a fork loose in the process, and rolling towards the ditch in front of the neighbors house , and of course it's night time and the scene is lit by the street lights and you have to winch the forklift up the hill and onto your property in the middle of the night....

lesson learned, pay for proper shipping next time:)

oh and the forklift earned the nickname " lucky " 'cause if that thing had not hit a bump and stopped before going into the ditch it would probably still be there!

Hire someone with a roll-off to move the thing for you. It will be worth every penny. Fork trucks have zero traction so expect to get stuck almost instantly just like others have said. If it were me, and I had to have a fork truck, I'd look for a pneumatic in the 3000lb range. The smaller they are the handier they are.

Thanks for the feedback. I think a skid steer or tractor would be better but for $900 I'm gonna have trouble finding anything.. I'm gonna go take a look today and go from there.

Welp It's mine. Was in great shape but I gotta retrofit it for Pnematic tires. I called the local forklift company and they said for that price I'd be crazy not to get it. It has a 3 stage mast on it as well. I think a skid steer or tractor would be more useful for me so maybe I'll put it up for trade in the local papers etc. I have a local wrecker gonna move it to the house for $75 which I'm more than willing to pay to save my trailer.

The pneumatic tires help a lot. Around here forklifts get used for piles of stuff. Punch a hole in the tip of a fork and you can mount a ball for moving trailers or a shackle for draging stuff out or spinning a pallet.

I've got pallet forks for my tractors (2500 lb lift and 4000 lb lift) but they are nowhere near as manoeuvrable. Don't stand under the forks. If the relief valve blows it will fall fast. Watched 4 tons of bananas ride a forklift freefall from 18 ft and slam into the ground. A spring in the relief broke.

You'll learn to pile things on pallets so you can move them around easily. I also have found these things called apple crates that are a 2 ft high box on a pallet that are stackable. You can fill them with heavy stuff and stack them up.

The pneumatic tires help a lot. Around here forklifts get used for piles of stuff. Punch a hole in the tip of a fork and you can mount a ball for moving trailers or a shackle for draging stuff out or spinning a pallet.

I've got pallet forks for my tractors (2500 lb lift and 4000 lb lift) but they are nowhere near as manoeuvrable. Don't stand under the forks. If the relief valve blows it will fall fast. Watched 4 tons of bananas ride a forklift freefall from 18 ft and slam into the ground. A spring in the relief broke.

You'll learn to pile things on pallets so you can move them around easily. I also have found these things called apple crates that are a 2 ft high box on a pallet that are stackable. You can fill them with heavy stuff and stack them up.

Nice. I had forgotten about the hitch trick. I saw them doing that at the camper dealership..

Pneumatic tires are much larger in diameter. I'm wondering how you would do a retrofit?

Pneumatic tires are much larger in diameter. I'm wondering how you would do a retrofit?

Talking to the guy at the forklift company I'm gonna have to work on the offset. I figure we build all kinds of wheels in our hobby (recentering them etc) that I can figure something out. I have a CNC table, Lathe and Mill so surely I can come up with something. Nothing like a challenge... Safety is priority 1 as always though so it wont be booty fab that's for sure.

Good luck as the wheel offset is the least of your worries. They are still taller and you'll have to drop the steer axle somehow to raise the back back up. If you want a pneumatic buy one. The last thing you ever want to do is raise the CG of a fork truck. Well... that's assuming safety really is priority #1.

My question is you guys that have them do you find like tons of extra uses for them? If so any examples?

Hells yea! I've got an old 12k cap propane lift that I use the shit out of. Between stabbing stuff up in the loft, using it to drop in motors, and also to lift up trucks for various fabrication and install projects.....that sucker has more than paid for itself (I got it for nine hundred bones). Hell, I've even used it for a mobile club get together picnic table :laughing:

Anyways, forklifts are always a good purchase if you can get them cheap.

The problem with retrofitting tires is you may need a lift kit and fenders may be near impossible to trim. To me the main reason to get new tires is so it won't get stuck in the gravel or grass which also means more clearance. If you keep the same size tires you may not see much improvement in traction.

we had a solid tire 6k forklift at work that we put tire chains on to make it more useful in the muddy/gravel yard. seemed to work pretty well when outside, but was tough to do very precise placing of stuff---making bolt holes line up on parts, etc

Why not a small skid loader with fork attachments?

Why not a small skid loader with fork attachments?

$$$$ is why. I got this lift cheap. Right now the lift works great as is and I have pavement where I plan on using it which is my lower driveway and basement.

this thing works great, zero turn radius, and can fit almost anywhere, takes up very little room, and electric so using it in a small shop with the doors closed is nice. Sure does look like a POS though.:D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/flyguyinagti/DSCN1950.jpg

this thing works great, zero turn radius, and can fit almost anywhere, takes up very little room, and electric so using it in a small shop with the doors closed is nice. Sure does look like a POS though.:D


shipping to atlz?

I know you already bought the lift, but if you’re thinking about swapping it out for another piece of equipment I’d get a Swinger style loader.

I’ve used them all, skid-steers/bob cats, tractors with forks, fork lifts, extend-a-booms (sky tracks), and swingers. They all have a use and are usually the best for their intended use; however the best all around piece of equipment is the Swinger. I can never see the damn forks on any of our tractors, skid-steers are too jerky, fork lifts (hard tires) suck on turf/gravel/dirt, and extend-a-booms are huge.

The Swinger doesn’t have any of those problems, and their all wheel drive (this is a 4x4 site right?). I grew up on a cattle farm, and working in my Grandpa’s machine shop. Grandpa looked at all kinds of equipment to replace his gas powered forklift. He got the Swinger. We’ve wore the thing out a few times during its life (~20 years and we got it used), and it’s been irreplaceable. The original gas burner in it was .060 over bored by its 3rd rebuild, and when it was time for another overhaul, Grandpa decided it was repower time. The Swinger has been undergoing a Continental TMD27 Diesel swap for about 2 years now. Dad had bought his own Diesel powered and much newer Swinger that’s taken over the work load of the old one. Grandpa’s Swinger served double duty for handling bar stock in his machine shop (read New Brittan screw machines) and farm duty in handling round bales, and lifting anything that needed to be lifted.

Semi-related sad side note, we lost Grandpa to a massive heart-attack the first part of July, and he was so close to finishing up his Swinger rebuild. It had just sat in his shop until this past week when I started searching up all of the parts to get it back together again for him. I know he’d be happy to see it back together and hard at work again, but it sure is tough to do, with out him being there :(.

Anyway, if you haven’t figured out my opinion yet, get a Swinger.


Not ours, just a google image:
http://www.swingerloaders.com/photos/albums/userpics/10003/normal_Copy%20of%20paul%201.JPG


- Lee

Good info man. Yeah I've already got the Forklift but that swinger deal sounds like an Item I will keep on my radar if I see one around here forsale. Sorry to hear about your grampa but I do agree he would be happy for you to take over the reigns on that machine.

Thx