Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed

   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #1  

cockeyedMFer

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Jul 25, 2011
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Tractor
1959 MF 35 deluxe, gas
Curious if this machine might be useful, or just overkill.
I've been looking for an older pneumatic tire forklift and something similar to this popped up. My goal is to be able to move larger items around several gravel drives and parking areas on the property, and eventually use it in a small auto salvage yard. The areas are well packed and can support my 22k lb loaded dump truck.

These old Hysters are rated at 15k lbs and weigh a little over 19k. Does anyone have experience owning/operating such a beast? Will they negotiate inclines?

How expensive is it to transport one from site to site? I'm assuming a semi tractor and low-boy would be required?

The other option would be a construction or off-road lift like in the second picture. The big Hyster would be more capable in an industrial setting, and could lift more, while the tractor-forklift is more versatile in outdoor settings but probably not as well suited to moving cars or bulky items. However with my current truck and trailer I could move it from site to site if needed.

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case_international_rough_terrain_industrial_tractor_forklift_1_lgw.jpg
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #2  
depends on the surface and load you want to lift. The bottom will handle uneven surfaces.
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #3  
The second one doesn't look to me like it has enough ballast to pick up a car. The first one is a beautiful machine, but the mast looks a little short. How high are you going to rack your cars? I wouldn't worry about inclines with that unit too much, but you won't want to use it in muddy conditions much...it'll sink.
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #4  
I used to run a Cat V120 at a lumberyard. It could pick up 4 units of 8' 2x4s - I think 208 sticks per unit.
(2.3[lb/ft]*8[ft]*208 [pcs/unit]*4[units])= about 15000 lbs.
It had dual wheels up front.

The mast may be short, but I'll bet it's a telescoping boom, so lift height should be good, provided you stay on dry, packed, level ground. The low boom is very nice if you need to get under a door in a storage building - don't ask how I know.

One of the most challenging lifts was to put a unit of 24 foot lumber on a flatbed truck - the ends of the unit would sag about 6 or 8 feet, so you had to lift the middle way up in the air to get it onto the truck bed. Big pucker, that.

Cat V120.jpg
 
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   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #5  
I've got a 5k older Hyster with pneumatic tires, it weighs about 9000 pounds and does okay in my gravel and on the grass when it's dried out enough. I made a set of fork extensions primarily to handle awkward items, I've picked up an S10 series Blazer. Kind of light on the steer axle, but it got it off the ground. The dual wheels will help a lot, as will bigger tires on the steer, that's where I usually run into problems with the little tires digging in.
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #6  
All depends on what/how much you need to lift, how high/what reach & importantly where - a standard type forklift will generally work ok on compacted reatively level dry surfaces, but is a specific use machine - once you have some rain, develop wet spots or wheel ruts/inclines their limitations become quickly evident (And if you have the misfortune to every bog a large forklift, the recovery is often a protracted & time consuming experience).

IMO & depending on (your) budget I'd be considering something more versatile/multi-use, along the lines of a large telehandler (the telescopic boom, AWD & AW steer makes it a stable machine for all areas/seasons -one of ours below will lift 2.5T easily) or maybe a 4WD industrial loader f/w forks (something like our old Case W9 f/W forks below handles 2.5T no drama)
 

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   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks for the replies...I need a pretty versatile machine. Something that is maneuverable - not too big to get around the barn, or maneuver around the property, so a wheel loader might be too big. Its also a bear to transport should the need arise.

Good idea on the 4x4 telehandler...but ouch! on the price. Ideally I'm looking for something under $5k.

I buy and sell a wide variety of stuff as a hobby business, so in one week I might get pallets of bricks, junk cars, surplus lab equipment, etc. The better a machine, the more stuff I can handle LOL.

Our property is wooded and hilly, and accessed by a declining driveway, so I have to plan where I stage items as they come off the trailer. We just finished a large flat storage area that's graveled and compacted pretty well, but my little 3 wheel hyster is too low to the ground to negotiate it. So its limited to moving within the barn and maybe up the driveway to the road on a dry day. :)

I miss my old rented commercial warehouse and huge parking lot. Blacktop is so much easier to work on, but there are fewer crackheads and thieves here in the country so its a fair trade... :)

I might just have to settle for a tractor-tire forkift for now, and eventually get a larger machine if the salvage yard business gets off the ground.
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #8  
We had one at the marina for moving boats around the yard. The owners son parked it in the river one day... bent the first tow truck in two trying to pull it out.
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed #9  
Ive worked on forklifts for 25 years ..... Most of the old "tractor lifts" were 5 or 6 k capacity. Forklifts are rated at a 24" load center, which means that capacity centered 24" forward of the heel of the fork. Its possible to "get by" with a 5 or 6k with a set of fork extensions and move most cars around with. If the ground is good where you will be using it at between those two choices id choose the Hyster over that tractor lift but the Hyster will need to be moved on a lowboy.
A reach forklift such as a LULL, Gradall etc in a 8K capacity would work great for what your wanting but good luck finding one of them for 5K or less
 
   / Anyone have experience with heavy forklifts? Hyster dual wheel 15k advice needed
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Just looked at this one last night. Its a clark 13,000lb model. Runs but needs brakes and possibly a tire.
Its at an auction so we'll see if it works out. Might get pricey but its close to home. If it weren't for the brakes I could put a Slow Moving Vehicle sign on the back and hit the road :)
There's also a 6k hard tire lift that I could use for my storage building off property. That would make life a lot easier!
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