Forklift Transport?

[BSDeality]

I'm looking at buying a used forklift for my new shop. I've found an electric Clark lift truck for sale in the state. The only deal breaker for me is the trucking, the guy wants $500 to move it 40 miles. Seams a bit on the high side.

I have a 12K gvw trailer to move it (and it weighs in @ 10K lbs so I would be a little over), but I don't know if I would be able to get it onto the trailer. My trailer is a deckover with a dovetail, but the angle is still pretty steep since its deck over axles. I've never driven a forklift before but my gut instinct is that its going to be impossible to get it on the trailer. Seems like it would bottom out. I think that I could get it off since I have a section of the driveway that is steep and I could position the trailer to reduce the gate angle to get it off. I don't know if the seller has a way to get it onto the trailer with a dock or steep angle driveway.

If worse comes to worse, could a forklift scale up a deckover trailer ramp gate with a dovetail?

[John Banks]

Where is it located Matt? We have a set of custom ramps to load our forklift into a roll-off container. Depending on when you're looking to get it, I could maybe pick it up for you in one of the roll-offs. email me if you want JohnBanks@JBanks.net You just pay for the fuel.

[04SUPERDUTY]

forklifts + uneven ground = bad.
they like smooth level surfaces. see if any of your local rental shops have a forklift trailer some of the bigger places do around here.
or check with a forklift service shop and see how much they would charge to move it.

[snowjoker]

Call a towing company with a rollback.:wink

[ChicagoSnow]

You need to rent a hydraulic - elevating deck trailer. I just moved a 9,000lb. Nissan forklift a few months ago. I believe it cost me $160.00 to rent the trailer for the day. Everything went very well!

[hlntoiz]

I have driven mine up on my 5 ton(not a deckover though). If someone can push you up you should be fine. Getting it off will be easy:wink I would suggest putting down some thick sheets of plywood to dispurse the weight. I went though on mine once.

Or you could just have John help you out. I hear he is fond of coffee!!:D

[BSDeality]

thanks for the ideas guys. The lift is over by Middletown, CT.

John, I'll be in touch with you. I like the roll-off idea the best, sliding around wet/frozen deckover trailer wasn't at the top of my 'good ideas' list.

I had thought about a tow-company as well. Just trying to keep the budget low on this since things are a bit slow lately.

[chipsearthworks]

thanks for the ideas guys. The lift is over by Middletown, CT.

John, I'll be in touch with you. I like the roll-off idea the best, sliding around wet/frozen deckover trailer wasn't at the top of my 'good ideas' list.

I had thought about a tow-company as well. Just trying to keep the budget low on this since things are a bit slow lately.


Would AAA Tow It? :wink Nah probley not, they need to tow street legel thing, kinda hard explaining to the guy " no really i drive it on the road!!!":grinz:eek:

[Rgory]

Hmm,

Well at work we have moved our 6,000 pound forklift about town on our skid steer trailer with out much trouble. However I do not know how the electric forktruck will handle the steep angle? As ours is gasoline and and has pneumatic tires. If John cant help you out I would look into a winch/pulley to give you a little extra leverage if you want to move it on your deck-over, it might be slow going but it should work well. Also as I am sure you know make sure the load is secured, you cant exactly pick a 6 ton fork truck up from the side of the road. Good luck let us know how it goes.


Ryan

[pbeering]

Save time, money, and damage, hire a towing co. with a roll-back, or a fork-truck co to move it. The electric probably won't be up to climbing onto a trailer and it weighs too much for most ramp assemblies.

[Mark Oomkes]

40 miles? I'm assuming driving it down the road would be out of the question? :grinz :popcorn2

[Arc Burn]

40 miles? I'm assuming driving it down the road would be out of the question? :grinz :popcorn2

Don't forget the battery charger:scramble

[Wizard]

Lol Mark, I suppose as long as you have a long enough cord to get to the generator in the back of the truck following it, cuz I'd bet the batts wouldn't quite make it... :haha

I'll be watching this thread with interest, as it appears that I'll have some forklift transportation needs in my future... :D

[JohnnyU]

I used to haul our old Yale on a rollback, worked pretty well as long as the bed wasn't wet or icy. In that case you had to use the winch.

I've had it loaded on this trailer too, it tilts at a very gradual angle, so it makes it easy to load equipment with low ground clearance.

http://dodgetruckworld.tenmagazines.com/gallery/JohnnyU/364620.jpg

[Wizard]

I think a tilt trailer like John's is the ticket. With forklifts it's not so much the approach and departure angle that's the problem but the ramp breakover angle. I was thinking of using a skid steer trailer, but I think the ramps are too steep and the breakover angle at the top of the ramp will hang up the forklift. I also have access to a a dove-tail car trailer, but that may even be too steep... Hopefully the dealer I'll be working with has trailers to use.

[BSDeality]

40 miles? I'm assuming driving it down the road would be out of the question? :grinz :popcorn2Mark, if I could take some shortcuts across bodies of water I might just do it. :grinz

I went to look at it yesterday, its in fair shape, forks are straight, no leaks, Just need to get a charger for it off fleabay.

[snowjoker]

I dont know how big your shop is, but if you take that lift on gravel you will kill your battery FAST! the electric lifts are only for running on hard surfaces. I would rather have a propane lift, they can be had fairly cheap too, and will run across gravel. I have ran an electric lift and I did not like it one bit.

[BSDeality]

i was planning on using it for racking off season tools up on pallet racks in the shop, and also moving pallet materials around outside the shop when the kubota isn't at the shop. There is pavement right outside the door and compacted 1/2" process around the back/sides of the building. I was more in favor of a bigger electric unit because I get free electricity with my rent and it would be one less thing to keep track of (filling tanks).