Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I am interested in learning what is available for a SMALL forklift to
be used in a HSM environment.

Requirements would be a weight range of up to 3000 pounds and the need
to cover soft ground (i.e. one's backyard). For power, it would be nice
to be either LPG or electric because of the intermittent usage
expected. Total weight would be considered because one might want to
bring it along to load auction wins...the heavier the forklift, the
less one would have left to load on the trailer for machines before
reaching the weight limit of the trailer.

While on the subject, what is the SMALLEST forklift available in the
used market?

Thanks

TMT

The closest thing to what you want is the "Spider" lifts that you see
stuck on the back of delivery semis. You aren't likely to find them on
the used market for a while and they won't be cheap.

Nearly everything on the used market will be a hard tire, low clearance
unit that requires a good paved surface. These units vastly outnumber
rough terrain units and so the few rough terrain units that make it to
the used market are either very expensive or very beat.

As has been noted, a skid steer with forks is good for rough terrain
however the skid steers are still quite expensive used if they have any
life left in them, and forks for them would be a rare find used since
they aren't all that popular and whoever has them will typically use
them on their next skid steer.

The best you can do at reasonable cost is to have a stack of plywood to
make a temporary road for a hard tire forklift when you need to go off
pavement. A double layer of 1/2" plywood (overlapped seams of course)
will handle a small forklift on reasonably solid ground.

A full sit down forklift is likely to weigh over 10,000# so they are not
transportable in any useful way for the average HSM. The walk behind or
stand up riding (I have a stand up rider) are going to be the lightest
for any given capacity since they have forward outriggers and don't have
to rely on counterweight.

Even the non-sitdown forklifts are not light. My 3,000# cap Yale
electric stand up rider weighs about 6,300# so just the forklift will
take up the capacity of a typical flatbed trailer. If you have an
alternate way to unload the trailer at home such as a gantry and chain
hoist you could potentially move things in two trips.

The better solution is to get a decent forklift for use at the home shop
only and a pallet jack and lifting gantry or engine hoist to carry on
your trailer. A pallet jack and a lifting gantry or engine hoist are the
lightest most capable and most transportable rigging equipment.

Pete C.