What's new
What's new

Forklift brand preference

Bluechipx

Hot Rolled
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Location
W. Mich
I have heard that Hyster is the most under rated for lifting capability ( a 15,000 will lift close to 20,000). I worked at a major piston ring company and the Caterpillar rings they made had the highest quality control of any brand they made. I have electric now but I am leaning towards LP. I am looking for a hard tire, 15K-20K range lift with LP. What brand do you consider the best and also which brand is considered the worst?
 
I have two 1960's hysters. Both will lift until the steering tires lift off the ground.
The 8,000 lift will pick up about 9,500 lbs and still have steering. The 20,000 lift is maxed at its rated capacity,the steering gets light.
I could probably adjust the relief valve to lift only the rated capacity on the 8,000# lift. Somtimes that extra capacity is needed.
I have a friend that has been buying Toyota and likes them.
He says the rated capacity is exactly what they will lift. The relief valve controls that well. That's not a bad thing. Lifting more than capacity gets people killed.
Older lift trucks dont have as many safety interlocks so you need to be more careful.

Edit:The lifting capacity on the 20,000 lift truck could be a little more than 20,000# i couldn't get an exact weight on the press I was lifting.
Both lift trucks were originally navy surplus.
 
I've ran quite a few larger forklifts, Hyster, Komastsu and Toyota. I like the Komatsu personally. Been great machines.
 
Not in this size, but I have a Linde and a Toyota. I like the Toyota better for everything except moving machinery. For that the hydrostatic drive of the Linde is unbeatable.
 
That thinking was true years ago but no longer. In old days before computer modelling, trucks were often over-engineered and yes, you could lift 20,000 pounds with a 15,000 pound truck. Forklifts built in the last 10 years are not like that. Manufacturers want to be competitive price-wise. They use computerized engineering models to eliminate any sort of extra steel to drive the cost down. If you need to lift 20,000 pounds, get a forklift that has the rated capacity to lift 20,000. You don’t want to have an accident and then the first thing OSHA cites is the use of lift truck beyond it’s published capacity.

Can I ask why you’d lean away from electric? Electric really is the way to go these days, lower cost of ownership, smells good, same lifting capacity.
 
Mitsubishi i liked to drive you could see the tips of of the tynes which is important when you come to a pallet and need to set height or move so tynes don't hit anything.

They have toyotas at work.
 
That thinking was true years ago but no longer. In old days before computer modelling, trucks were often over-engineered and yes, you could lift 20,000 pounds with a 15,000 pound truck. Forklifts built in the last 10 years are not like that. Manufacturers want to be competitive price-wise. They use computerized engineering models to eliminate any sort of extra steel to drive the cost down. If you need to lift 20,000 pounds, get a forklift that has the rated capacity to lift 20,000. You don’t want to have an accident and then the first thing OSHA cites is the use of lift truck beyond it’s published capacity.

Can I ask why you’d lean away from electric? Electric really is the way to go these days, lower cost of ownership, smells good, same lifting capacity.

You wouldn't be brand biased in any way would you ?

And where is your real world experience to back up your recommendations ?
 
Unless this is strictly wharehouse work on a perfect floor, I suggest trying to find one with a manual transmission/clutch. Or at least a third brake pedal. The new ones with an automatic trans and a clutch/brake combo pedal are miserable bastards on uneven ground. If you're holding it in place with the brakes going down hill, and try to reverse, they will roll forward considerably when you take your foot off before the trans engages and takes over. Not good for delicate work.
 
I have two 1960's hysters. Both will lift until the steering tires lift off the ground.
The 8,000 lift will pick up about 9,500 lbs and still have steering. The 20,000 lift is maxed at its rated capacity,the steering gets light.
That's easy to fix. You stick an 8' bar of 2" steel out the back, hang a few hundred pounds of cutoffs in a bucket and swing two guys off the end. Voila, steering works ! (Sort of. A little bouncy but if you go slow it's okay) :D
 
Some thirty years ago, I was in charge of equipment and machinery purchases for a relatively small manufacturing company employing about 500 people. We used Hyster products because good service and technical support from the local dealer was very good. We had used LP powered units for a long time because most use was indoors. Then we switched to electric because of simplicity, cost, and durability.
 
Unless this is strictly wharehouse work on a perfect floor, I suggest trying to find one with a manual transmission/clutch. Or at least a third brake pedal. The new ones with an automatic trans and a clutch/brake combo pedal are miserable bastards on uneven ground. If you're holding it in place with the brakes going down hill, and try to reverse, they will roll forward considerably when you take your foot off before the trans engages and takes over. Not good for delicate work.

Agreed. We have Hysters (I think?) with only 2 pedals and they suck ass.
 
That's easy to fix. You stick an 8' bar of 2" steel out the back, hang a few hundred pounds of cutoffs in a bucket and swing two guys off the end. Voila, steering works ! (Sort of. A little bouncy but if you go slow it's okay) :D

That type of thing is often done around here. Some wouldn't admit the practice. You have to consider what the frame of the machine will take. Old hysters are pretty stout.
It will squat the dually's. OSHA doesn't see all. If I'm close to maximum weight I lift,let the truck drive out then lower within inches of the ground then move very slow. Keep weight as low as you can. Most lift truck screwups are made carrying the load up to high.
I wouldn't recommend anybody doing anything unsafe but equipment and machine operators know you have to use the tools you have and there is always risk. You have to consider the consequences/risk. Think before you move.
My prime mover. Laying on its side:D20181010_112358.jpg

I seen a 706 International tractor broke in half putting weight on the front. The tractor uses the engine and transmission as part of the frame. The old hyster doesn't.
 
Thats bad.
There wasn't any reason to carry that load up high. Six inches off the floor. He took it off a truck or rack and just started traveling. Either poor or no training.
Keep your load as low as you can. Im sure all of you know that.
The picture with the guys on the back the load was 6 inches off the ground.

No matter what brand you buy dont let just any one that thinks they know how to operate use it.
My sons ex wife got mad at me because I told my grandkids that my skid steer would kill them. I didn't want them near me while I was operating it. She said I scared them. I hope what I said did put fear in them. Being politically correct isn't always appropriate.
She went half way through a windshield with no safety belt. She lived.
A year of physical therapy.
 
See if you can rent on before buying

I'd suggest renting whatever lift you will be getting before you buy one. Each unit has a feel to it that your operators may(or may not) like. I was told the Komatsu we use has a Toyota engine in it-- but we haven't needed to do anything but change the oil so far.

I've had Hyster, Yale, Clark, Allis, Caterpiler, Komatsu and my handy little Namco. The Hyster is the oldest and it is a manual-- the Komatsu is the newest and it is a manual as well. I like the manuals for picking machinery-- and the automatics for general shop floor use. Certain forklifts can be jerky-- some operators had a hard time handling the monotrol version one brand had on it.

One factor to consider is visibility. With the Komatsu design-- we have full visibility of the load. With our larger Cat, its hard to see anything(but it has both side-shift and power fork width).
 
Ya don't have to get that fancy, just a few big boys work in a pinch.

Steve

View attachment 248615

I have a 5K Clark that looks exactly like that one. The service guy we call says this is the forklift that bankrupted Clark because they have so many problems. We love ours because it has both positioning and side shift, but you can't see the forks at all. It has 3 pedals, but both brake pedals do exactly the same thing, disengage the trans then apply brake. I had another FL on which the right brake pedal could be adjusted to only apply the brakes, I liked that feature because it was smoother at very low speed moving machines if I used my left foot on the right pedal.
I have noticed that most riggers I get in have manual clutch lifts.
 
Unless this is strictly wharehouse work on a perfect floor, I suggest trying to find one with a manual transmission/clutch. Or at least a third brake pedal. The new ones with an automatic trans and a clutch/brake combo pedal are miserable bastards on uneven ground. If you're holding it in place with the brakes going down hill, and try to reverse, they will roll forward considerably when you take your foot off before the trans engages and takes over. Not good for delicate work.

I can’t think of any circumstance when a manual transmission lift truck would have an advantage over a powershift. That goes double on a hard tire machine. Use of the inching pedal as either a clutch or a brake indicates a need for operator training. And good luck keeping a decent operator when all the other jobsites have more operator-friendly and less fatiguing machines to run all day.
 








 
Back
Top