Forklift education

Currently all I have is a crown walk behind. It has done well for our small place. Ceilings are 12 foot where I am. New place will have concrete floors, and 21 foot tall ceilings. Most use will be indoors, usage should be medium to light. Heaviest pallet will be around 3000 pounds. Building does not have dock high loading and all truck unloading has to be done from out on the street. Street to overhead door is mostly level.

What would be recommendations on brand and configuration?

Thanks

Jason

A 3000-5000 lb capacity cushion-tired "warehouse" lift should do you just fine...are you going to move machinery with it?

If you intend to use high-level pallet racking for storage you might need the triple-stage mast, but other than that don't get hung up on that.

Side shift or fork (width) positioning are nice options although decrease the theoretical load capacity by a few hundred pounds.

I think I'd choose LPG or electric for indoor operation. Personally I like LPG since all parts are "user serviceable" within reason. I've worked around IC engines for a number of years and have a basic understanding while batteries are somewhat of a "black art" to me and I know that replacement can be expensive...

The intersection of age vs. purchase price is up to you...who will be servicing it and how much downtime can you afford?

Thanks Matt. Mostly palletized goods will be moved. High level storage is a must.

Jason

I would look around for a Clark TM20 which is a three wheel 4000# basic truck and with sideshift and a 83" lowered/188" three stage mast should do your job nicely.Just be sure to get a good 36 volt battery and an Auto start-stop charger and it will last for many years. This type unit drives with both front wheels as it uses dual motors rather than a differential.

The rate of lift and decent is another area to consider. A "slow" lift or decent will drive you nuts, will seem to take forever to pick or set a pallet at the top levels.
I would prefer electric. I find it a lot cleaner than engine maint required with the IC engines.My battery man, Deka brand, says with proper service, ,etc 7-10 years is service life for my battery.
Reasoning is based on having diesel, gas and electric trucks at the shop.