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Forklift alternatives

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  1. #1
    Reelman65 started this thread.
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    Forklift alternatives

    I am at the point of using Gaylord containers for stuff now and not having a forklift is a pain. I am not ready to spend the money on that yet though. What are some alternatives y'all are using?

    I have thought about overhead hoists, tommy lift, engine hoists.

    any other ideas?




    Also what would a cheap forklift cost? is craigslist the best place to start looking?

    thanks,
    B


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    a pallet jack?

    I got one at a scrap yard close to me for $28 total. Just let them know you want one an they will put it off to the side...just check it out an make sure it over all works. If the lift dose not lift...it could be just a simple thing as adding oil an or changing out some seales

  3. #3
    Reelman65 started this thread.
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    Yes definitely need one of those, but how would you load gaylords on truck or trailer?

  4. #4
    Andrew's Avatar
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    I was just looking into this myself because even a small forklift weighs a couple tons so its hard to transport and I have a pallet jack but its still not easy to load stuff onto the trailer.
    I found this high lift pallet jack it lifts a ton about 2 1/2 ft and there are others that lift more but cost a lot more. http://www.amazon.com/HERCULES-Manua...1121459&sr=1-1 it only weighs about 400 lbs so it is easy to transport

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    The way we are doing it at this time is no fun but hey...it works.

    We will load a gaylord into the trailer an then empty the one into the other an then push the pallet back into the trailer an so on until we are fully loaded.

    To unload a gaylord takes a few mins but it works pretty good.

    If you have the room or space. You can build a ramp an use a cable winch to pull the pallet onto the trailer. The ramp needs to be long for it to work. I know someone who dose just that to load a 18 wheeler with a pallet jack.

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    I doubt it will help here but wondering how many others are using a forklift on a tractor Quik-Tach. The fork attachment is around $800. Not the same capacity as a regular forklift, but more versatile, especially with rough terrain.
    People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.

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    I bought a forklift from Frito Lay for $400 bucks. Came with 2 batteries, of which both were on their way out, but still usable. Didn't come with a charger though. Looked those up and they were more than I wanted to spend so I sold it.

    dovebid.com is where you would look to find one if interested.

    At the moment I am using dads skidsteer with a fork attachment. Only load it couldn't lift was one forklift battery.

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    I got lucky. For $200, I found a 4500# gas powered lift that needed a tune up and some steering work.

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    Quote Originally Posted by c4f5 View Post
    I got lucky. For $200, I found a 4500# gas powered lift that needed a tune up and some steering work.
    Nice find.

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    Reelman65 started this thread.
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    Quote Originally Posted by c4f5 View Post
    I got lucky. For $200, I found a 4500# gas powered lift that needed a tune up and some steering work.
    Yea, that's what I am looking for, I think.

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    What you can do is make a poor mans loading dock.. I just heard about this tip the the other day from a friend..

    What you do is find someone who has an old box truck they are parting out - people often sell the boxes for storage and are left with the lift gate. Take that lift gate and weld together some bracing/frame for it so that it can sit on the ground and still operate (design the base so you can move it around with your pallet jack).. Now all you need is a 12v battery to operate it up and down. This way you can get pallets up and down onto the truck!

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    Get yourself a used stacker. I over paid for mine at $600, but there are tons out there if you look in the $300ish range. Basically they are a walk behind forklift. I've loaded and unloaded from semi's with mine no problem. The only time it kinda sucks is this time of year with the snow on the ground.

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  16. #13
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    Cool

    Would that be a lift gate off an F700 Box Truck, WoodmanYoel?

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  18. #14
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    sounds like its time to put out a bunch of ads for fork lift recycling, cash paid you might get a call for one with a little cummins in it. i broke my axle on my sled trailer few yeas ago so i advertised tent trailer recycling and and two weeks went by and nothing then had 3 calls in one day. 3 sweet tent trailer frames cost me 100 bucks before fuel.

  19. #15
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    I enjoyed this post some. I get a kick out of other people doing similar things to me. However, I am a bit salty too cause this is an advantage I have had against my competition for a while. I have gotten extremely far on nothing but a set (2) of pallet jacks. A forklift is either 150-300/mo as a rental. 1500-4000 to purchase used. The real advantage isn't the pallet jack btw.
    BBS

  20. #16
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    Something to look into for those that are interested...look at pallet stackers. These are not self propelled, and sometimes have width restrictions on pallet sizes, but there are ways to work around that.

    I have a Big Joe pallet stacker, but only can lift 36" wide pallets. I use 4x4s as stands for pallets if I need to load from ground level. It has a capacity of 2000 lbs, 12 foot lift height, and is compact. You can find these if you're looking for $500-1000 usually.

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  22. #17
    WoodmanYoel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spinroch View Post
    Would that be a lift gate off an F700 Box Truck, WoodmanYoel?
    Hahahaha maybe =P - Glad to see you made an appearance!

  23. #18
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    I use a little older smaller payloader. lift is 4000-5000 lbs, 4 wheel drive, bucket and forks, articulates in the middle so it doesn't tear up the peoples or my lawn, and it is terribly easy on diesel.


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