Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Anybody know anything about fork lifts?

I drove them for 24 years in a Chicago warehouse. By far, the best ones we used were Raymond stand ups. Fast, manuverable and easy to change the battery. All the controls were right at hand and they had regenerative braking. We had a few Crowns, the type with the collapsible overhead guard, for loading low trailers but you stood sideways in them and had nearly zero visibility behind you. We had them all equipped with Q D's so we could take the forks off and mount a clamp or slip sheeter in just minutes.

Hell, I used to pick units from the ceilings of plants with a 10k forklift across the forks and chained to the mast of a 30k forklift, gives one quite a bit more height. We used to put 5k auxiliary counterweights across the back to increase capacity also. Those were the good old days of loading the damn things with down-boards and cribbing. Had a high mast 80k forklift that we used to do some ungodly things with.

Phil

I know now OSHA requires an operators license and at least a short class on operation of fork-lifts, never use to be like that... but even now I doubt if 1 out of 10 that operate them understand the lift charts or the capacities, or even how they change with each stage. Tell someone one is rated at 10k on 24" center and they won't know what the hell you are talking about, or why you never put steel on steel.

Phil

I have been driving (and supervising drivers of) 5000-5500 lb lifts since the early 80's, electrics up until 15 years ago.

Over the years, I have run Yale, Clark, Baker, Komatsu, Toyota, Hyster, Cat, and for five months in 2017 forty hours/week on a Mitsubishi propane rental. We currently have two electric 5500 lb Hysters in the whse, three propane Hysters 5000 lb, 5500 lb, 6500 lb, one fifteen year old propane Toyota 6000 lb with solid pneumatic tires, four of the old Bakers. And two out in the yard, they are a 6500 and 8500 lb Hysters with pneumatic duals.

Okay, some history. Over the last fifteen years, maintenance cost on each of the Hysters the company owns at our location has been ten bucks for every dollar spent on the Toyota.

Our purchasing dept puts new machines out on bid, and goes with the cheapest bid. Then we pay the difference 100 times in M&R expenses.

We got a used 5000 lb Toyota Electric in 1982. For over twenty years it was the best machine we had including several newer Bakers and older Yales. The Toyota was the most popular with the drivers and got double the hours of any other machine with very minimal downtime and absolutely atrocious PM.

Fifteen years ago we got the aforementioned propane Toyota 6000 lb unit. It was old enough that we had to add a cat to the exhaust. With the cat, it never tripped our CO monitors. The propane Hysters do so very frequently. Over the last fifteen years I had to have the mechanics replace a hydraulic pump which split in half. Apparently something? went through the relief valve and over pressured the system.

The Hysters, with less hours, have had heads rebuilt, transmissions rebuilt, front axles replaced, starters replaced, an entire engine rebuilt, many engine sensors failed and replaced.

That old Toyota just keeps on running. It is the most comfortable to ride. The larger solid pneumatic tires contribute to that. It is the easiest to pick up pallets with a more open view through the mast. The fifteen year old Toyota also has a stability enhancement feature which puts hydraulic down pressure on the outside rear tire in a turn, which would help prevent a careless operator from tipping the machine over.

I mentioned earlier time spent on a Mitsubishi rental unit. In every feature visible to the operator, it seemed to be a clone of the old Toyota I am so fond of. Though it might have lacked the stability enhancement.

If it were my money and my warehouse, I would purchase a new Toyota lift truck and never look back. If budget is an issue, I would purchase a clean Toyota rental return over any other new machine.

If the warehouse has any ventilation at all, I would use a propane unit. Electrics are okay, if they are on flat floors and never have to climb an incline, though regenerative technology does help to reclaim some energy when you descend the slope. And if they only run an eight hour shift, then go back to the charging station. And if you have a good PM guy who will keep the battery cells full of distilled water.

I use to pick up a dime at the end of drivers class...good times ...the back load out door would ring and i ..being on my lift ...would run over and press the overhead door buttom with the fork, many a customer asked how did i get the door open and back on the lift so fast ..lol ....10 years i did that ..then one of the weekend,nite guys seen me do it ...came in on the following monday to see the switch box smashed and 1/2 way thu the wall...fu...ck...er... once it was reported the a..hole said but ...he does it all the time....dammmmmmit

Crown is pretty ubiquitous around here for electric and I prefer them over the Raymonds that I've been on

Pointy ends toward pallet. Don’t puncture anything. Don’t drop anything. Don’t run into anything. Don’t run over anyone.

All you need to know

Do not let go of the steering wheel while going flat out in reverse...

They weigh up good in the scrapyard !! :)usually takes about 15 minutes to cut up with my labounty scrap shear !!