Any experience with purchasing used forklift trucks? We need a relatively small one for the brewery. Only about 3,000lbs capacity. Don't care if it's electric or propane.
Where does one look for used forklifts?
What is a reasonable rate for a used one with plenty of life still in it?
Are there particular things to inspect for when purchasing a used forklift truck?
Forklifts are incredibly durable machines. The one we just got rid of was 25 years old and used hard it's whole life.
A quick scan on CL says to me plan on spending around $7,500 give or take a bit for something clean and in good condition.
When my dad was the foreman of a cigarette warehouse, they had many large propane forklifts.
They rented them. So anytime more propane, repairs, etc, were needed it didn't come out of the budget. It was just a fixed expense.
We bought a new Toyota a few years ago, I think it was $12,500 or something like that. They had used ones in there too we could have purchased for much less. Our previous Toyota went with one of our companies we sold, and it was still going strong after 10 years. Pretty much nothing other than the occasional service every few years. They were both propane.
From my experience, most forklift problems are due to abuse and impacts other than failures. I wouldn't be hesitant at all about buying one used, especially if they are from a company like ours that only uses it to unload the occasional truck.
Do you NEED a true forklift? We had one of these when I worked at a print shop:
It was awesome. It was rechargeable. The lift mechanism was the only automated part, you still had to push it by hand. We used the pallet jack to move stuff on the floor and this was for putting stuff in the racking. Worked great and took up less space than a real forklift (plus it was cheaper).
In reply to slefain:
When I worked at walmart they had things that were like that were also self propelled. Like a a walk behind forklift. I'd assume it's probably just as expensive as a real forklift though.
Global Industrial sells them. I would just use this as a reference. Your friend is the local yellow pages. Forklift companies sell and service new and used equipment. Try local.
WARNING: I am not an engineer and don't have forklift experience. I'm speaking out of my tush here.
Are there good signs of overload abuse? I'm thinking along the lines of either "trying to lift too much stretching chains/bending things" or "trying to lift something too far forward without counterweight" symptoms. I suppose it should be obvious if someone tipped one over from scratches. 
We have a Toyota electric bought new 16 years ago. It has been great. Our dealer sells used ones they take in on trade.
If you are going to use it inside of a warehouse, I'd go battery. We had a propane one and it was not safe in the building.
We actually drove one off a loading ramp 4' from the ground, landed it on concrete on its side. It was already old and abused when that happened and we beat it to death for at least 5 more years afterward. As long as it runs and all the lift/shift functions work, used is your friend. There are usually tons of used equipment dealers around, and don't forget to check equipment auctions in your area.
A hand pushed one is not going to work. The primary use for this is going to be able to catch ~2000lbs of grain in a ~200lbs metal dump bucket, roll it out to the parking lot, lift it up, and dump it into a trailer for a farmer to haul off.
I have seen a forklift require major maintenance. Was at a brewery where one of the bearings went bad. It kep getting used and machined down the axle. Replacing the axle on a forklift was not cheap. Pretty sure that was from carrying loads around a parking lot with a fair number of bumps, dips, and small potholes.
slefain wrote: Do you NEED a true forklift? We had one of these when I worked at a print shop:It was awesome. It was rechargeable. The lift mechanism was the only automated part, you still had to push it by hand. We used the pallet jack to move stuff on the floor and this was for putting stuff in the racking. Worked great and took up less space than a real forklift (plus it was cheaper).
Load capacity. 25 kegs at 170lbs a piece or half a ton of grain will max a de-palletizer quick.
That being said, we rented as well. Our lift monkeyberkeleyed all the batteries one day, and they just showed up on a flatbed with a different one. I don't remember the brand. Only thing i remember is 3 grand in batteries is a lot more expensive than our rental fee.
I work in the business, I will return after work today with a very detailed post to address the questions here.
Edit: I also know some trustworthy wholesalers, so depending on what type of machine you decide on, I maybe able help on that end too.
I used to service the forklifts at my former job during slow season, propane powered toyotas were great and reliable. Aside from fixing a few broken fittings from people ramming scrap steel past the mast it was just maintnence.
If your going to take it outside in any kind of bad weather get a set of the knobby outdoor front tires.
We have 14 here at work. Cheap is not always good. Like cars ask for maintenance records. We buy used from a dealer, refurbished units that are gone thru, new hoses, tune up, good to go. Try to get their periodic maintenance program. Money well spent,they know what to look for as far as problems, upcoming service. Choose the truck that fits your needs, indoor only, outdoor maybe? both and chances of snow? lift trucks stink in snow!!! LP trucks rule. most are easy to repair in house.
Electrics almost always have bad batteries. Nothing else really goes bad, and if it was good they wouldn't be selling it, unless you're buying from a closing business.
My job for about five years was maintaining a fleet of forklifts. Most repairs were minor. Blown hydraulic hoses was one. We rebuilt everything. Engines, lift cylinders starts, water pumps etc. It is almost impossible to overload one. If it exceeds the capacity it just lifts the rear wheels. these were old Clarks with Continental engines of two different sizes. Propane powered.
In reply to Beer Baron:
OK, I'm back.
Buying a used Forklift can just as hazardous to the untrained masses as buying a used car. There is no shortage of unscrupulous used machinery dealers willing to polish the stinkiest turds and sell them to suckers that don'teven know what they need, for top dollar. To many a repaint and new decals is a reconditioning job, they don't even bother to clean out the insides, for fear all the leaks will start showing themselves.
Knowing what you really need in a machine, what machines are capable of delivering that (in the real world), and a prepurchase inspection will go a long way to getting you a great deal and avoiding a rip off.
First you need to carefully analyze what you need the machine to do, where it will be doing it, how much weight it needs to handle & at what height, and what attachments, if any, it will need to handle.
All modern forklifts have their weight rating based on a 24" load center, that means the COG if the load should be no more than 24" from the face of the carriage (the part the forks attach to). Many machines are not rated to lift their nominally rated capacity all the way to the top of the mast's lift height. All machines should have a factory supplied capacity data tag explaining it's capacity vs lift height. Adding attachments or handling loads with greater that rated load center can drastically effect the machine's real capacity.
For example, if you've ever been to a carpet warehouse you've seen forklifts with a carpet ram attachment. Even though those big rolls of carpet usually weigh less than 3000# you never see a forklift rated less than 5000# handling them because the load center is nowhere near 24".
So if the metal vat of spent mash weighs 3000# but is more than 48" in diameter you will need a machine with greater than 3000# rating to safely handle it. You stated 2000# plus the vat, I'm assuming the size of the vat will put the load center past 24". IMO a 3500#/4000# machine would be a safer choice.
As far as damage from overloading is concerned, I've never seen a machine damaged from it in anyway except being flipped over (which, BTW, can happen in the blink of an eye). The mast and frame structures of machines in the 3000# to 5000# range are pretty similar. Lift chains are a wear item, and they will in time stretch to the wear limit wether lifting 10% or 110% of the rated capacity. The relief valves are set well below the burst pressure of the hoses, sometimes 50% below. Hoses fail from wear and tear, abuse and old age, not overloading.
I'll come back later with a post about Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vs Electric
We recently got a new forklift at the pharmacy, which meant we moved the old one to my area. Then the batteries exploded... With all the damage, I have been left to deal with some of the "mechanical work". I told them up front that it would be a couple grand to fix and that has been proven through quotes.
Next step was looking for used lifts. We found that used lifts are almost as much as used lifts. Go the used lift route if all possible.
Be sure you pick up what works for you. I don't like the stabilizer bars up front. I'd rather have a counterbalanced lift. The heaviest thing we ever pick up is ice packs in order to pack refrigerated drugs like Cayston or other custom compounded drugs.
New allows you to get whatever you want. Take care of it, love it, pet it, and it will last.
In reply to N Sperlo:
Battery explosions are quite rare. That battery was probably very old and abused, and was likely giving warning signals that you guys didn't recognize.
You mentioned outriggers, so this must have been some type of reach or straddle stacker machine. Those machines are great in certain applications, but useless for some others. They are specialized tools for specialized jobs.
I strongly disagree about getting a new one not costing much more than a used. If you know how to shop you can can get very good used machines for half of the cost of new. Further more, depending on how it's being used,an older Forklift can have much lower operating costs. More on that later.
Zombie thread, canoe removed
We exploded the battery in our walk-behind Clark. Was using an angle grinder to remove some metal from something on the forks and sparks went into the battery box.
It got everyone's attention.e
z31maniac said:When my dad was the foreman of a cigarette warehouse, they had many large propane forklifts.
They rented them. So anytime more propane, repairs, etc, were needed it didn't come out of the budget. It was just a fixed expense.
This is what we did at flat earth. When one broke they brought us a different one.
Knurled. said:We exploded the battery in our walk-behind Clark. Was using an angle grinder to remove some metal from something on the forks and sparks went into the battery box.
It got everyone's attention.e
You realize that had nothing to do with the battery or the forklift, right?
It was more like a Darwin moment.
(Speaking as someone who nearly blew his face off doing exactly the same thing).
In reply to Beer Baron :
You really should have your accountant look at renting.
It’s almost always better to be able to expense it out every year.
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