Although forklifts used outdoors are built to be more rugged than their indoor counterparts, you don't want to leave them outside all the time. Besides the threat of vandalism to company property, there's always a concern with rain, snow, humidity, and heat, all of which can cause corrosion to a forklift's components.
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.
Stay Inside the Cab: Remain inside the forklift until it comes to a complete stop. The protective cage of the forklift is designed to shield you during a rollover. After the Incident: Once the forklift has stopped, assess your condition and check for injuries before exiting.
A standard warehouse forklift is about 85-90 inches tall with the mast lowered — about seven to seven-and-a-half feet. However, with the masts extended to the full height, the forklift can reach about 165-175 inches, which is about 13.5-14.5 feet.
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.
As a general rule, most forklifts last anywhere between 10,000 hours and 20,000 hours. Yes, useful life is measured in forklift hours, not miles.