The most common forklift hire mistakes are choosing a machine on its headline capacity, getting the mast, power type or tyres wrong for the site, and signing without reading the agreement. Others include treating a damage waiver as insurance, letting unlicensed staff drive, booking too late for a peak and not checking the forklift when it arrives. Each one is cheap to avoid before you sign and expensive to fix later.
What can a hired forklift really lift?
A hired forklift can only lift its rated capacity at the load centre and lift height shown on its data plate. How much a forklift can lift depends on the load centre, the distance from the fork face to the centre of the load. Australian ratings commonly use 600 mm, while many imported spec sheets quote 500 mm, which makes a truck look stronger on paper.
Capacity falls as the forks go higher and as the load sits further out. On one Hangcha 3.5 t rough terrain forklift, the load chart allows 2,900 kg at 3.2 m with the mast vertical, but only 1,320 kg at 4.5 m tilted forward. Attachments such as a side shift, fork positioner or clamp reduce capacity again, because they add weight and push the load forward.
Overloading is a safety risk, and damage from misuse is usually the hirer's cost. To avoid it, give the hire company your heaviest load, its size and your top lift height, and ask for the capacity at that height with any attachment fitted.
Getting the forklift mast height wrong
A forklift mast has to reach the highest point you lift to and fit under the lowest opening you drive through. Check the maximum fork height against your top racking beam with the load on, and the lowered mast height against roller doors, mezzanines, sprinkler pipes and awnings.
Container work adds free lift: how far the forks rise before the mast gets taller. A forklift that fits through the container door can still hit the roof once the mast extends, which is why choosing a forklift for container work starts with lowered height and free lift.
Measure the top beam and the lowest opening before you ask for a quote. Hitting an overhead structure can also be excluded from a damage waiver, so a mast that's too tall can cost you twice.
Wrong power type or tyres for your site
Power type and tyres decide where a hired forklift can work safely, so match both to the site, not to the cheapest rate.
Electric, LPG or diesel
Diesel forklifts are normally outdoor machines and shouldn't run in an enclosed warehouse. LPG forklifts are used indoors only with adequate ventilation. Electric forklifts produce no exhaust, which suits enclosed warehouses, but they need a charging point and time to charge.
Lead-acid batteries need a charging area, watering and full charge cycles, while lithium can be topped up at breaks with the correct charger. Not every electric forklift is rated for outdoor work, and two shifts need a machine and battery that cover the hours.
Tyres for your floor or yard
Cushion tyres suit smooth, level concrete, which is also what reach trucks need. Pneumatic and solid pneumatic tyres cope better with yards, ramps and rougher sealed surfaces. Gravel, mud and building sites need all terrain forklifts with high clearance and large tyres, and even then slopes and soft ground limit what's safe.
Booking forklift hire too late for a peak
Booking forklift hire a few days before a peak often leaves you with whatever is left. Demand rises before Christmas and the end of the financial year, rates can be higher, and less common machines may have to come from another depot.
Availability varies by location and term, so ask about the machine, term and delivery date well ahead, and confirm all three in writing.
If the extra forklift comes back every year, or the hire keeps getting extended, weigh up forklift hire vs buying before the next peak.
Signing the forklift hire agreement without reading it
A forklift hire agreement sets the real cost of the hire, not just the weekly rate. Read these points before you sign:
- Term and early return: some agreements commit you to the full term, and returning the forklift early can mean paying out the rest.
- Hours: rates often assume about 8 hours a day, read from the hour meter, with extra hours charged.
- Return date: keeping the machine past the agreed date can roll the hire on at a daily rate.
- Rate rises: long-term hire rates may go up each year, for example in line with CPI.
- Servicing and daily care: who services the machine, who pays for misuse damage, and who supplies fuel, LPG or charging.
With DJJ Equipment, minimum hire terms depend on the machine and branch, and hire may include an inspection before the hire starts, servicing support and breakdown assistance. Ask our team about transport options to your site. Ask which of these your quote covers.
Compare quotes on the total for your hire period, because delivery, fuel and the waiver can add a few hundred dollars to the cost of hiring a forklift for a short job.
Is a damage waiver the same as insurance?
No, a damage waiver isn't insurance. It limits what you pay if the hired forklift is damaged, lost or stolen, but only in the circumstances it covers, and every waiver has exclusions.
DJJ's optional Equipment Waiver costs 10% of the weekly hire cost. It doesn't apply where the operator isn't suitably licensed or is affected by drugs or alcohol, where damage is wilful, or where the forklift hits an overhead structure.
A waiver does nothing for injury to people or damage to your racking, stock or building. Hirers are expected to hold their own public liability insurance, so check your policy covers hired plant before the forklift arrives.
Who is allowed to drive a hired forklift?
Anyone driving a hired forklift truck in Australia needs a high risk work licence in class LF, which covers counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks and ride-on stackers. An order picker where the operator rises with the load needs class LO. Most forklift hire is dry hire, so licensed operators are your responsibility.
Pedestrian-operated walkie stackers and pallet jacks don't need an LF licence, but your operators still need training and instruction. A business must not let a worker do high risk work without the licence, and an unlicensed operator also takes the waiver out of play.
Licences are issued by SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Queensland, WorkSafe WA or your state or territory regulator. Sight each operator's licence before the forklift arrives. If nobody on site is licensed, wet hire, where an operator comes with the machine, costs more and isn't offered by every supplier.
Not checking the forklift on delivery and at return
An unchecked delivery leaves you arguing about damage when the forklift goes back. Before the driver leaves, walk around the machine together, photograph each side, the forks, the mast and the tyres, and record the hour meter reading. Note any existing damage on the delivery docket.
Operators should then do a pre-start check every day before use, following the manufacturer's checklist. It covers items such as tyres, forks, chains, hydraulics, brakes, steering and leaks. Report faults straight away, because a fault you keep working around can become damage you're charged for.
Plan the return before the last day. Hire agreements usually expect the forklift back in the condition it arrived, apart from fair wear and tear. Clean it, refuel or swap the LPG cylinder as agreed, and take the same photos and hour reading at collection.
Forklift hire checklist before you sign
This forklift hire checklist turns each mistake above into a check you can run with the quote in hand.
| Check | Why it matters | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity at your lift height | Capacity is rated at one load centre and height, and attachments reduce it | Compare your heaviest load with the load chart at your top lift height, attachment fitted |
| Lowered height and free lift | The forklift must pass under doors and work inside containers | Measure the lowest opening and ask for the lowered height and free lift |
| Power type | Exhaust and charging limit where each type works | Diesel outdoors, LPG with ventilation, electric with a charging point |
| Tyres | The wrong tyre slips or wears fast on your surface | Cushion for smooth concrete, pneumatic or solid for yards, rough terrain for unsealed ground |
| Term, hours and return date | Early return, overtime and late return cost extra | Read the term, maximum hours, return date and any CPI clause |
| Waiver and insurance | A waiver isn't insurance and has exclusions | Read the exclusions and confirm your public liability cover |
| Operators | Ride-on forklifts need an LF licence, order pickers LO | Sight licences and keep training records for walkie stacker operators |
| Condition at delivery | Unrecorded damage becomes your cost at return | Photos, the hour meter reading and notes on the docket |
If any row has no answer yet, ask before you sign, because changing the machine or terms on paper is easier than on site.
Most forklift hire mistakes come from hiring before the job is measured. Tell us the load weight, lift height, surface and how many hours a day you'll run, and our team at Silverwater, Meadowbrook or Bayswater will match the machine and term to it. Call 1800 355 388, or send the details through our forklift hire enquiry.
