A Forklift that is also known as a lift truck or fork truck is a small powered industrial truck that has an attached fork platform at the front & operated by power. Forklifts usually use an electric battery or combustion engine.
The fork is used for lifting, moving, carrying, pushing & pulling materials over short distances. Various industries like warehouses & other large storage facilities use forklifts.
Although forklifts were first developed in the early 20th century, the earliest battery-powered forklift model was first built in 1906 by Pennsylvania Railroad.
However, forklifts we see & use today were first developed in the 1960s. Since then forklifts become one of the most popular, versatile & effective loads & lifting machines around the world.
Currently, different types of forklifts models are making and using. They come in different sizes & capacities & most of them are powered by batteries, propane, diesel fuel, petrol or gasoline.
Examples of models that are currently used side loaders, Counterbalance lift trucks, powered pallet lift trucks, tele-trucks, pump trucks, hand pallet lift trucks etc. These models are used throughout different industries for lifting & transporting containers, heavy loads, pallets etc.
So, How Much Do Forklifts Weigh?
It is important to know the forklift’s weight & lifting capacity in order to use them safely.
On average most common type of forklifts weighs around 7000 pounds to 10000 pounds or 3175 kg to 4535 kg. So a single forklift should weigh around 9000 pounds or 4082 kg. However, there are some larger models that have the capacity to lift and transport over 50 tons.
How Much Does A 5000 Lb. Capacity Forklift Weigh?
On average, a 5000-pound capacity forklift should weigh between 7500 pounds to 10000 pounds.
Weights Of Various Forklifts Models
| Forklift Models | Weight (pounds) | Weight(kg) |
| Hyster H50FT | 8924 | 4048 |
| Komatsu FG18HT-20 | 6340 | 2876 |
| Crown 4520-30 | 5974 | 2710 |
| Toyota 8FGCU25 | 8000 | 3629 |
| Caterpillar C5000 | 8157 | 3700 |
| Yale GLC050 | 9016 | 4090 |
| Clark CMP25 | 8254 | 3744 |
How Much Does A Forklift Battery Weigh?
Forklift batteries are used for two reasons. Firstly they provide power to forklifts & act as a counterweight to make forklift machines work much more easier when lifting heavy goods.
On average, common forklift batteries weigh around 600 pounds to 4000 pounds or 272 kg to 1814 kg. Forklift batteries consist of a battery case, battery cells, battery cables, battery bars.
How Much Does A Forklift Fork Weigh?
On average a forklift fork weighs between 15.21 pounds to 31.75 pounds or 6.9 kg to 14.4 kg.
There are different forklift forks available.
Block forks: used for lifting cement blocks.
Coil forks: used for lifting and movies reels, steel coils, concrete pipe etc.
Bolt-on forks: used to eliminate unusual movements when forklifts are in motion.
Drum forks: used to lift 1 or 2 drums.
Tire forks: used to lift and move big-size tires.
Corrugated forks: Used to push under corrugated boxes on the floor surface.
How Much Does A Forklift Counterweight Weigh?
Counterweight helps a forklift maintain its balance when the forklift is in service. Also, counterweight helps forklift to contain goods from tipping over during the load-carrying time. The counterweight is placed at the rear of the forklift to offset the weight of the load that is carried or lifted.
A forklift counterweight is calculated like this:
“max weight x (front distance + forklift’s load center) / wheel Base”
How Much Does A Forklift Tire Weigh?
The most commonly used forklift tires size is 16x7x10.5. And on average the weight of this size tire is 52 pounds or 23.59 kg.
How Much Does A Forklift Propane Tank Weigh?
Usually, forklift tanks are available in steel and aluminum materials. Difference materials create different weights for a forklift propane tank.
However, propane tanks made from both aluminum and steel materials can hold around eight gallons of propane. On average an empty steel forklift cylinder weighs around 35 pounds & a full steel forklift cylinder weighs around 69 pounds.
An empty aluminum forklift cylinder weighs around 23 pounds & a fully loaded aluminum forklift cylinder weighs around 56 pounds.
How Much Does A Forklift Mast Hold?
A forklift mast is a vertical part usually used to lift & push down goods. Each component of a mast is connected to each other by interlocking rails. On average, a typical two-stage mast can hold around 2000 pounds to 6000 pounds.
How Much Weight A Forklift Can Hold?
The weight of a forklift lifting capacity is calculated or determined by dividing its weight by 1.5 to 2. So if a forklift’s weight is around 7500 pounds or 10000 pounds then the lifting capacity should be 5000 pounds. The range of forklift capacity begins from 3000 pounds to way over 50000 pounds.
How Much Does A Forklift Cost?
If you want to buy a brand new electric forklift with standard weight capacity then it will cost around $20000 to $45000 or more. Also with this cost range add battery & charger cost which is around $2500 to $5000. So, the overall cost will be around $20000 to $50000 or more for one forklift.
How Much Does A Forklift Battery Cost?
Usually, depending on size & specifications a forklift battery cost around $2000 to $6000 or even more.
Fun Facts:
>>Forklifts do not cause as many accidents as you may think!
>>In 2014 Fayetteville, Georgia USA, a group of creative thieves stole a forklift & used it to ram a 2000 pounds weigh ATM machine from its foundation.
>>Forklifts are not only used for warehouse uses rather rough terrain forklifts are used for transporting different construction equipment.
>>As forklifts are heavy powerful machines, not all people are qualified to use a forklift. All forklift operators must complete training before operating the machine.
>>Kalmar DCG720-10LB is the world’s most powerful forklift truck with up to 79 tons of lifting capacity!
