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Mike Mastin
02-09-2004, 1:34 PM
I am in need of a fork lift and know absolutely nothing about them. I have located a 5000 lbs capacity Komatsu at a forklift dealer locally that looks pretty sweet. It is a mid 80's model that has been refurbished cosmetically (new paint, new seat, etc.).
It started very fast, did not smoke and all of the hydralics seemed to function properly. It is a far sight better looking than the majority of the cheapo's that I have been looking at, but again I know nothing about forklifts.
What should I look for before I purchase? Oh and this forklift is only $2500.00.

Carl Eyman
02-09-2004, 2:06 PM
Please don't take my word as that of an expert, but I did buy a half dozen of them over the course of my working years. I am guessing you are talking internal combustion engine vs. electric. Lumber yards generally go for them. The price sounds right especially if it is propane. Propane lengthens engine life remarkably.

Check the compression of the engine against new specs for that engine.

Check oil for metal shavings. (Put drop of oil on paper towel; is there any residue on towel after oil drains through?)

Use a stethoscope around various bearing sites on engine block. If you don't have a stethoscope, use a wooden dowel with one end on engine block and other to your ear (not in ear). Press both ends against ear or engine hard. If you hear scraping noise, or thuds, or screetches ask for advice from a pro.

Put a load on the forks and raise up fully. Leave there an hour or two. Does the load come down by itself. If so. some seals are bad. (You can probably tolerate some of this, but it would be nice to know about it beforehand)

Run the truck down the road as fast as it will go. How does it steer? Does it wander around? If so knuckle joints or something is amiss. DAMHIKT.

Park it on a piece of clean paper, Are there any oil leaks next morning?

Does it have all gadgets OSHA wants? Back-up buzzer, etc. I don't know all of them, but a call to the insurance Co. that carries you workmen's
comp would probably tell you.

Lastly, brakes. You may even want to expose brake drums and see if scored ot linings worn. Does parking brake work?

I've probably forgotten something, but good luch

John Christiansen
02-09-2004, 8:02 PM
I am in need of a fork lift and know absolutely nothing about them. I have located a 5000 lbs capacity Komatsu at a forklift dealer locally that looks pretty sweet. It is a mid 80's model that has been refurbished cosmetically (new paint, new seat, etc.).
It started very fast, did not smoke and all of the hydralics seemed to function properly. It is a far sight better looking than the majority of the cheapo's that I have been looking at, but again I know nothing about forklifts.
What should I look for before I purchase? Oh and this forklift is only $2500.00.

Brakes! first and foremost!! (sorry Carl, had to do it.) If you can't get it stopped, you don't even want to think about getting it going. DAMHIKT.

Power steering, you will be doing a lot of line up maneuvering with a forklift, and a lot of that will be while sitting in one place, you want to be able to turn your steering wheels without great difficulty while the vehicle is sitting still.

Drive-ability, can you run it down the road wide open and have good steering control. with rear wheel steering you don't have much room for over-steer. a little to much and you're going sideways or laying on your side before you even have time to think about correcting.

Tires good? They ain't cheap.

Does everything work smoothly? Do the mast move up and down without sticking? Does it shift smoothly, Manual transmission, automatic or hydro-stat, it doesn't matter, you'll be doing a lot of maneuvering with a forklift, you want it to shift forward and back without difficulty.

Will it perform in the environment you plan to use it in. eg. if you are going to be using it in a muddy yard somewhere, is it equipped with the right tires and drive train for that use? or is it meant to be used indoor only, say in a plant or warehouse.

Komatsu. They seem to have an outstanding reputation for good quality commercial construction equipment. But even Ferrari has built a few lemons

cosmetically refurbished. That's nice,...... right now. Actually, it's a catch 22. either the dealer wanted to draw your attention away from something, or he felt the unit was worthy of some detail attention. How do you feel about this dealer? is he a reputable implement dealer, or.........??

$2,500.00!!!! At that price you can still afford a few small repairs. Heck, you can't even buy your teenager a good first clunker for that kind of money. And we all know that a teenagers first car is money thrown into the wind.

Mike Mastin
02-10-2004, 3:57 PM
Thanks guys for your input. I need all of the assistance that I can get with this one. We are looking at the lift again tomorrow for some further testing based upon what I have gathered from you all!