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Fork lifts
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Illinois John
Posted 11/20/2012 08:15 (#2707270 - in reply to #2706484)
Subject: RE: Fork lifts


Crawford County, Robinson, Illinois

buckeye - 11/19/2012 19:28 Where does a person go to buy a used forklift? What do you look for as far as specs, how equipped, etc? Going to be used in a farm shop. Seed pallets, and pro boxes mainly.


When I semi-retired from the farm, I toyed with the idea of becoming a forklift jockey.  I bought a couple of used ones and brought them into condition for better sale.  I stopped the idea of doing this full time by myself, as they are not easy to work on.

My experience showed me a couple of things, in most conditions forklifts are very abused.  Propane lifts are my preference, as the emissions are a bit less if used in a building.  Be sure to have a working carbon monoxide detector if using any forklift indoors, can keep them from killing you.  Often we had to open the doors and refresh the air in the shop when working on the combine, one of the best reasons to own a forklift.  When CO detector went off, no matter the temperature, we opened all the doors, you cannot smell or feel it yourself, and it is a deadly gas.

Propane lifts often have very dirty oil if neglected, since there is a longer change time of oil, often it looks clear for a long time and never gets changed.  It is not easy to change oil on most forklifts, usually a heavy toe jack is needed to access the plug in the pan.  Starters are usually close to replacement when they are sold, as most people turn the units off and on frequently.  Hydraulic fluid and filters are usually abused as well.  Check air filters, and slack in the movable parts of the fork unit.  Measure the forks to see how much wear, most have even number lengths, and if a lot is worn off one can get an idea of abuse as well.  If the points are down to very sharp, check linkage in the towers well, it has been used a lot, no matter what the hour counters say.

I mention those things as they are the first items to look at in a used unit.   With a little bit of effort, most forklifts can be brought back into condition where you can start abusing them again.  Side shift is a big positive for me, as is a three stage mast.  I turned down a good unit once because of lifting height, it should be at least the height of your pallet racks in the shed, or you will be disapointed.

I never knew how handy these things were until I owned one. I use them yet today for so many things I never even considered until I owned one.  Like a good loader tractor, it would be difficult to not own one after finding out their usefullness.      



Edited by Illinois John 11/20/2012 08:16
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