The average lifespan of a forklift is 10,000 hours. It's also important to mention that it's common to see lift trucks last more than 20,000 hours from higher-quality brands, such as Toyota.
The occupational safety and health act of 1970 requires that forklift operators must get re certified every 3 years. Florida OSHA has created Florida Forklift Certification that are required for Florida employers who employ employees to operate a forklift.
In general, you want to buy a forklift that still has somewhere between a fourth and a half of its life left. That's probably somewhere between 7,000 and 11,000 hours. Of course, if you can find a machine with even fewer forklift hours, that is ideal, but you may not get the level of savings you're looking for.
Always drive unloaded trucks with the the forks downgrade. Never drive with the load downgrade. Never turn a forklift on a grade.
Class IV Forklifts are internal combustion engine cushion tire trucks. This class of sit-down forklifts is designed for indoor use. Class IV Forklifts are powered by internal combustion (IC) engines that run on diesel fuel, LP gas, gasoline, or compressed natural gas.
There are seven basic types of forklift classes ranging from class I to class VII. We'll walk you through each class and explain the differences between each.
Types & Fundamentals » Forklift Classifications Class I: Electric motor rider trucks. Class II: Electric motor narrow aisle trucks. Class III: Electric motor hand trucks or hand/rider trucks. Class IV: Internal combustion engine trucks (solid/cushion tires) Class V: Internal combustion engine trucks (pneumatic tires)