Forklifts are grouped into seven classes in the federal standard, and rental yards use those classes because they decide fuel, tires and where a machine may work. The practical split when hiring is simpler than that: electric machines for indoor floors, cushion tire engine machines for docks and mixed use, and pneumatic or rough terrain machines for yards and sites.
The classes, in the order a yard thinks of them
Class one and class two are electric riders and narrow aisle machines. Class three is the electric pallet jack and walkie stacker. Class four and five are internal combustion machines on cushion and on pneumatic tires. Class six covers tow tractors, and class seven is the rough terrain machine that will work on dirt.
Tires decide where a machine may work
Cushion tires are solid rubber on a small wheel, built for smooth concrete, and they will not cross a gravel lot. Pneumatic tires are air filled and cope with a rough yard. Rough terrain machines go further again with lugged tires and ground clearance. Getting this wrong is the most common bad rental in the category.
Propane, diesel or battery
Propane is the workhorse for mixed indoor and outdoor duty, and the cylinder is exchanged rather than refilled. Diesel stays outside. Battery machines are quiet, emit nothing indoors and need a charging spot plus a shift plan. Ask which fuel is on the unit being quoted, since the same model exists in all three.
Read the data plate, not the model number
A machine described as 5,000 pounds carries that at a stated load centre, usually 24 inches from the heels of the forks. A long or awkward load shifts the centre forward and the safe capacity falls, sometimes sharply. Attachments do the same thing. The plate on the machine is the only figure that counts.
Questions people ask about all types of forklifts
Which class do I need for a warehouse?
A class one or class four machine around 5,000 pounds handles most palletised work on a level concrete floor. Narrow aisles push you towards a class two reach truck, and a dock with no ramps may only need a class three electric pallet jack.
Can I rent one without being certified?
The yard will hire you a machine against a card and a deposit, and the handover includes a familiarisation. In a workplace the employer must train and evaluate the operator under the federal standard, and that duty sits with you rather than with the rental company.
What does a forklift rental cost?
A standard warehouse machine is the cheapest class by the week, and the four week rate is a fraction of four weekly rates. Rough terrain and high capacity machines cost several times more, and both carry higher transport because of the truck they need to arrive on.
Is a telehandler a forklift?
It lifts on forks, but it reaches out and up on a boom, which makes it a different machine and a different hire. If a load has to be placed on a scaffold or a second floor, the telehandler is the answer; on a flat slab it is expensive overkill.