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Should I buy a forklift for $250?

mountainexplorer

mountainexplorer

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I have an opportunity to buy an electric powered forklift for $250. It works good, just someone at the food services warehouse put ATF in the brake reservour so the brakes don't work right now. Not too familiar with Electric forklifts... was hoping it was a propane powered one, but I guess this is a fair sized one and can lift quite a bit.

I wonder if it can drive off road, considering where I'd use it most is not paved or even gravelled. I guess I'll have to check it out.
 
mountainexplorer said:
I wonder if it can drive off road, considering where I'd use it most is not paved or even gravelled. I guess I'll have to check it out.
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If it has solid tires with no tread, it will not go "off-road" at all.
 
Don't most forklifts have that sort of tire? I remember the little old propane one we used to have at the radiator shop. I could get it stuck on flat concrete if one of the drive tires hit some coolant or oil on the floor.
 
Ive driven forklifts on really hard packed gorund, but i have also gotten them stuck in the same. it all depends.. if nothing else you shoudl be able to source the hydro steering setup from it... and then scrap the rest. you would probally break even after that
 
Id buy it, you can always get better suited tires later.
I know of one electric fork lift that did very well on a rainy day in some mud.


lane5.JPG
 
If you have to, lay down plywood sheets to move it around. If nothing else, you will have a really nice ram/ lift setup. Think how easy it would be to change axles-just poke the forks under the truck and lift.:D :D
 
Would you have a way to charge it? Propane is much better in my experience. Also electric lifts can be dangerous in the the rain...ask me how I know...
 
The Toyota electric lift I drive every day is 36VDC. The battery "wears out" after a couple of years. Just around the house, ya might by with three Optima batteries wired in series.

I wish I could get one that cheap!!! :wink1:
 
Bubba Ray Boudreaux said:
A $250 forklift, a $12 pack of beer and a video camera. Good times can be had by all. Just make sure your medical is paid up:D
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I'm with him, if nothing else I'd pool money with my buddys for a case of beer and the forklift.... we've had WAY too much fun with an electric golf cart, let alone something that can pick crap up...
 
GET IT! GET IT! GET IT!

i wish i could buy a forklift for $250, and i only have 1 4by and live in a subdivision!

if it has slick tires just swap them for some ones with tread and sipe them. it's not like you have to worry about the sipes wearing the tires out, you're driving like what, 20 miles a year?

DO IT!

you'll only regret it later. no more messing around with floor jacks. no more wondering how to move engine blocks, frames, axles. for a guy like you who owns about 30 rigs this couldn't be a better idea. the only thing better would be one of those 4x4 rough terrain forklifts.
 
Funny story, during my forklift driver's license test, I got the forklift stuck in the flowerbed. :doah: I still passed...but boy was I nervous.
 
ryan22re said:
Funny story, during my forklift driver's license test, I got the forklift stuck in the flowerbed. :doah: I still passed...but boy was I nervous.
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Do we really want to know...:haha:
 
Yeah, I want to know why he spent good quality time getting a license to drive a forklift!

lol

-Avery
 
a friend of a friends kid was killed at a ware house here in gilbert while the guy let two kids under 9 play with a fork lift in a warehouse, if i remember right the attorney general pressed charges, sad story. also tri city auto had a nasty story involving a tippy fork lift, the loading ramp and a arm of some one who was not of enough age to drive it "insert barf smily"


just be carefull!
 
forklifts can be terribly dangerous if one is not careful. Tipping a forklift is the most common thing I see, a tipped forklift usually results in amputated limbs, and somone getting completely crushed. Those lifts are unforgiving when they go. If that lift has one, please wear the seat belt. Im sure its a fairly small lift but they still are extremely heavy and you dont want to be pinned under one when it tips. I see far too many accidents with these things that could have been prevented only if the operator was a little more careful. Heres a humurous picture that I show my students, I think its a little funny because its so absurd that anyone would be so dumb as to do something like this.
dumb_forklift_safety.jpg
 
definitely buy it... every time I move an axle or a 203 or something I wish to heck that I had a lift! lol!

j
 
not sure about the electric ones but the propane ones are fun as hell to race in the winter.... I have flopped one before, but I was goofing arround, and we had another lift at the time so it was easy to flip it back over... I would buy it if I had the room
 
I would!...

I'd buy it if I had the money and a chance too...electric isn't as desireable as propane,but hell,for that cheep who cares!...you have a dozen Dana 60's to move around,that alone is a good reason to have one!..

The older I get,the less good I am at moving heavy stuff--just yesterday I loaded a small sit down riding mower in my truck bed,and I could hardly lift either end--my left arm is useless,I injured it a few weeks ago--I ended up using my engine hoist to pick it up and get it in the truck,and busted my balls unloading it at the guys house ,who I repaired it for..

I was a bit stupid to make my flatbed/crane setup off my old K20 into a trailer--it was much better mounted ON the truck!--no chance of it popping off the trailer ball when hoisting something heavy onto it,its much easier to manuver into tight spots than a trailer,and one less thing to insure,and buy plates for..!..I really miss having a hoist and winch setup on my truck--I might make another one,or remove the one from the flatbed and make it fit my 82 K20 ,I cant be lifting things like I used too..

I'm also contemplating making one of the engine crane "cherry pickers" I have,into a self propelled ,off road capable hoist/hauler unit,using a golf cart rear axle and an old riding mower drivetrain!...might not fit under a car with bigger tires up front instead of casters,but it sure would make loading all the junk I have into my truck easier..what I really need is my old Ford "600" series bucket loader back!..:doah: ..should never have sold it!..
 
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