Yes, most forklift hire comes with maintenance included: the hire company does the scheduled servicing and repairs parts that wear out through normal use. What it doesn't cover is the cost of running and using the machine, so fuel or charging, daily checks, damage from misuse, tyres and hours over the agreed limit usually sit with you. Rental and hire pages that promise maintenance included rarely list what's excluded, so read the hire agreement before you compare weekly rates.
What does forklift hire maintenance usually cover?
Forklift hire maintenance usually covers scheduled servicing at the intervals the manufacturer sets, plus repairs to parts that fail through normal use. Many hire companies also check and service a machine before it goes out, so the hire starts with a forklift in working order.
Long-term hire tends to include the most. On contracts that run for months or years, many hire companies cover fair wear and tear as well as servicing. Breakdown assistance and a replacement machine are a different matter: some contracts include them, and a replacement is often subject to availability.
Under DJJ Equipment's standard terms for forklift hire, we service and maintain hired machines in proper working condition during business hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Depending on the quote, hire may also include an inspection before the hire starts, agreed servicing support and breakdown assistance, so ask which of these your quote covers.
What forklift hire maintenance doesn't cover
Forklift hire maintenance doesn't cover damage caused by how the machine is used, or use beyond what the rate allows. These are the usual exclusions, and how our standard terms treat each one:
- Damage from misuse or accidents. Hitting racking or a doorway, or lifting more than the data plate allows. The hirer pays for damage from improper use or abuse, and must keep the machine within its rated capacity.
- Tyres. Many hire companies charge tyres separately from servicing. Under our terms the hirer pays for tyres as we assess them, so ask how that works on your site.
- Hours over the limit. The rate allows a maximum number of hours per period, read from the hour meter. Extra hours are charged at an hourly overtime rate.
- Service outside business hours. We don't offer after-hours or weekend service, so plan for it if you run nights or weekends.
The hour limit catches sites that add a shift. Two 8-hour shifts, five days a week, put about 80 hours a week on the meter, twice what one shift does, so tell us if your hours could grow during the hire.
A damage waiver changes who pays for some damage, not who does the maintenance. Our optional Equipment Waiver costs 10% of the weekly hire cost and, in some circumstances, limits your liability for theft, loss or damage beyond repair. It isn't insurance, and it doesn't apply to unlicensed operators, drugs or alcohol, wilful damage or overhead strikes. You also need your own public liability insurance, because the risk of operating the forklift stays with you.
Who does what on a hired forklift
On a hired forklift, the hire company looks after the machine and you look after its daily running. The table shows how our standard hire terms split the work and the cost; other hire companies may divide it differently.
| Item | Who does it | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled servicing | Hire company, during business hours; you make the forklift available | Hire company |
| Repairs from normal wear | Hire company's authorised staff only | Hire company |
| Repairs after misuse or an accident | Hire company's authorised staff only | Hirer |
| Daily checks of oil, coolant, water and batteries | Hirer, following the hire company's instructions | Hirer |
| Fuel or LPG, oil, grease and water | Hirer | Hirer |
| Recharging batteries | Hirer | Hirer |
| Tyres | Hire company assesses them | Hirer, as assessed |
| Hours over the limit | Read from the hour meter | Hirer, at the overtime rate |
| Service outside business hours | Not offered by DJJ; elsewhere by agreement | Hirer, where offered |
As a rule of thumb, the hire company pays for wear and you pay for running the forklift and for anything beyond normal use. A quote can add to our standard forklift hire terms and conditions, breakdown assistance for example, so keep the quote and the terms together.
Daily checks stay with you even on a fully maintained hire. Operators still do a pre-start check before each shift, and anything it turns up gets reported to the hire company, not worked around.
Short-term vs long-term hire: does maintenance change?
Maintenance on short-term and long-term forklift hire follows the same rule, but it matters more the longer you hire. A forklift on a short hire usually goes out freshly serviced and may be back before its next service; on a long-term hire it reaches several service intervals.
Our servicing clause applies whatever the hire term, and minimum hire terms depend on the machine and branch. Short-term hire suits seasonal peaks, projects and cover while your own forklift is off for repair; long-term hire suits businesses that want predictable costs and maintained equipment. The term is also one of the main things that sets forklift hire costs, along with the machine and the hours you'll run.
What happens when a hired forklift breaks down?
When a hired forklift breaks down, park it, take the key out, report the fault to the hire company straight away and leave the repair to them. Under our terms, faults and accidents must be reported to us immediately, and only our authorised staff may repair, modify or adjust the machine, so your own mechanic isn't an option.
Our technicians provide on-site service within 50 km of our Silverwater, Meadowbrook and Bayswater branches, during business hours. We don't offer after-hours or weekend service, so if you run nights or weekends, settle how breakdowns on those shifts are handled before you sign.
Few hire companies publish breakdown response times, and a replacement forklift isn't automatic. Ask what your quote includes for breakdowns and whether a replacement machine is possible for your term and branch. If one stopped forklift would halt your operation, that answer matters more than a small difference in the weekly rate.
Fair wear and tear when you return the forklift
Fair wear and tear is the gradual wear a forklift picks up from proper use, and you don't pay for it when the hire ends. Under our terms, the forklift goes back in the condition it was dispatched in, with reasonable wear and tear the only exception.
The line falls between wear and damage. Bent forks, a damaged mast or overhead guard, dents from racking and cut tyres usually count as damage, and damage is charged.
At the start of the hire, photograph each side of the forklift, the forks, mast and tyres, record the hour meter reading and note any existing damage on the paperwork. Do the same when it goes back, and keep your daily check records.
Questions to ask before you sign a hire agreement
Maintenance questions are easier to settle before you sign than after a breakdown. They're one of several checks when you choose a forklift hire company, so ask for these answers in writing:
- Which servicing and repairs does the rate include, and what's excluded?
- What's the maximum number of hours per period, and what's the overtime rate?
- How are tyres assessed and charged?
- Does an electric forklift come with its charger, and if it has a lead-acid battery, who tops up the water?
- What are the service hours, and what happens outside them?
- Does the quote include breakdown assistance, and is a replacement machine possible?
- Is a damage waiver offered, what does it cost and what does it exclude?
Hire with maintenance vs buying and servicing your own
Hire with maintenance included suits a business that wants a predictable cost and would rather not carry repair risk, while buying suits steady use over several years. Our comparison of forklift hire vs buying works through a break-even example for a 2.5 t electric forklift.
Owning moves the maintenance to you: servicing, repairs, tyres and downtime become your cost, though you're free of hour limits and a fixed term. DJJ services all forklift brands and repairs Hangcha forklifts; repairs on other brands are assessed case by case.
If you're leaning towards owning, compare the total hire cost over your planned period with buying one of our forklifts for sale, outright or through finance.
If you want forklift hire with maintenance included, get a written quote that lists what's covered and what isn't, and check it against the hours and shifts you'll actually run. Call the DJJ Hire Team on 1800 355 388 with the load weight, lift height, site surface, hours a day and hire term, and we'll recommend a machine and a hire setup to suit.
