Counterbalance Forklift

It depends on your shift pattern. Lithium suits multi-shift work with opportunity charging and needs little battery maintenance, while lead-acid costs less to buy but needs watering, a charging area and full charge cycles, which suits a single shift. Both still need the correct charger.

An LPG counterbalance forklift can work indoors only where ventilation is adequate, because it produces exhaust. Diesel models are normally outdoor machines and are not suited to enclosed warehouses, so if the forklift spends most of its shift inside, an electric model is usually the place to start.

A rated capacity is only true at the stated load centre and lift height. Australian ratings commonly use a 600 mm load centre, while many imported spec sheets quote 500 mm, which gives a higher figure for the same truck, so compare counterbalance forklifts at the same load centre.

It can. Side shifters, fork positioners, clamps, rotators and other forklift attachments can reduce a counterbalance forklift's usable capacity, so confirm compatibility first and check the revised data plate or load chart before the machine goes back to work.

DJJ Equipment's own estimate, based on Sydney figures, is about $7 a shift to charge a lithium forklift against about $40-70 a shift for LPG or diesel. Actual running costs depend on your usage and on local power and fuel prices.

Choose a counterbalance forklift when loads move between a yard, a dock and the warehouse, cross ramps or get loaded onto trucks, because it works indoors and out. A reach truck makes more sense when most of the work is stacking pallets into high racking on smooth indoor floors, since it turns in narrower aisles. Many sites run both.