Have an option on a 12k offroad forklift...what say you?

admin

Let me start by saying that the only forklift I currently own is the loader on my tractor which maxes out at 4k lbs.One of my customers has put their largest forklift out to pasture and is offering me the chance to buy it.  It's an old Roanoke Hustler 12k.  Has a JD 4 cyl diesel, a cab (doors missing), sideshift in addition to up/down and tilt, a Funk 4000 transmission which I assume is a type of powershift trans although the linkage is so tight I'm not getting but one fwd and one rev out of it during testing.  The drive axle has 22.5" modern duals on it, the rear end has old 20" split rims with an odd 6-bolt pattern.  None of the mast cylinders leak, left the forks a foot off the ground for a week and the up/down cyl didn't leak down at all while the tilt cyls drifted 3/8" at the rods.  The mast is single-stage and the forks top out at 11' in the air.The forks are 6' long but have been welded at the heels and need replaced -- got one quote at $1500 shipped for new tines.  Steering is shot due to a bad bellcrank assembly - needs removed and bored / rebushed which will be a pretty big (heavy) job.Forklift weighs 17k lbs according to the door tag.  96" wide and 19' long from fork tips to counterweight.  9' 3" tall with forks down.  Too tall to go into my shop which is a buzz kill but not necessarily a deal killer.  The mfgr is long out of business although I'm guessing I can make or have made anything I would need for it.  Customer wants $3500 for it but is willing to negotiate.  Seems like lifts of this capacity are pretty expensive when I look elsewhere.  I'd probably put less than 50 hrs a year on it but would be good for handling dumpsters etc.With a paint job and trailer I could probably pull it to jobsites with my International.  Although I will have to look into that.Have never owned a forklift but I can see the use for one.  The affordability is attractive.  A smaller one would be easier to get around in, but I'm not being offered a smaller one and frankly have gotten by without one OK by having the tractor.Opinions welcome - what am I not seeing or forgetting?  I don't buy much (any) heavy equipment.
Reply:worse case senerio, if you can sell it for a profit if it doesnt work out for you then go for it, try and get it as cheap as possible..Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:$3500 for a running 12k is a steal fix it and easily sell it for $10kSent from my C811 4G using TapatalkVantage 300 kubota ,miller 304 xmt ,lincoln ln 25 pro , ranger 305 G, plenty of other tools of the trade to make the sparks fly.
Reply:Buy it, fix it, sell it. Buy a forklift that is ideal for you and have money left over.
Reply:I'd be on that in a heart beat. The height with the mast down would be my only disadvantage that I see for my use as where I store mine right now the doors are 8', but in my shop, that wouldn't be an issue.Check ground clearance on using a trailer. Many times fork lifts will bottom out going up ramps onto standard deck over wheels trailers. You need a trailer with long ramps/ beaver tail or something like a low boy with some lifts. That or a roll back..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I have a Case 580 K Tractor/loader/backhoe with forks. It meets my needs. We do a lot of work at a local pellet mill where they have a set of twin hard rubber tired machines and a case 580 forklift in horrible disrepair. It is in use constantly either to move things, hold them in place while frames are constructed under them, or as a work platform. This thing is tall, it must reach thirty feet at the forks. You'll be surprised how useful it is.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Forklifts are handy but that sounds like a lot for an orphan to me. I'd make some inquiries about other parts. things like a water pump an injector pump etc. I don't say you will ever need them but if you do and can't get them it can be costly or impossible to replace them. I had a guy show up looking to replace a relief valve on a mid 80's payloader. No longer available from John Deere who built it. They ended up machining a new one out of a block of steel. Most cylinder packings are relatively cheap and usually fairly easy to get. I've got an old Henly here 8k x 12 ft. up good forks and needs a muffler and tires and like the one your looking at, it shifts odd. I haven't been motivated to look at it yet. It is on the list. But it would have to be a really good day for me to refuse 1000 USD for it. Unfortunately I'm too far from you to make it interesting. When you check around make sure you compare apples and apples.---Meltedmetal
Reply:The overall length is long for a forklift of that size, it is a yard lift.    Handy but limited use unless you have a big shop.    Personally I would look on CL and see what else is available in your area, generally older lifts are 3~6000 in sizes from a ton to six or so.     Big older forklifts can be had cheap, too big for most and like old machinery not up to current safety standards for industrial use.Steve from SoCal now in HutchMiller Dynasty 300DX Coolmate3 Speedway TorchMiller XMT 450 MPa plus with D-74 MPa Plus Miller Bobcat 225 NTHypertherm Powermax 45And a whole bunch of machines
Reply:Parts acquisition can be costly. 15 years ago, I bought an old John Deere 410 TLB. It had low hours, was tight, engine ran well, no cracks, or welds. It seemed too good to be true. Being a John Deere, it leaked from secretive places I couldn't find. After sleuthing the source of leaks, I had a dry machine, cheap. Half hour into the first project I knew why. Warm, it could barely lift empty buckets. Lots of research later, somebody suggested an infrared camera. Oil was flowing somewhere it shouldn't. The camera would show warm oil flow. 3 sections of the six section hoe valve were bored too large for the spools. New sections for the old spools were not available, a whole valve made up of about 12 expensive components would be offered. I believed the cost exceeded the tractor's value. Eventually, New Hampshire Hydraulics offered to build a new valve from a different manufacturer. I tormented them 10 months before they delivered the valve. Each section was 1/8" narrower than the old. The joystick mechanism wouldn't fit! Two days later, I had built a steel mechanism for the joystick linkage. By then, needing a backhoe, I gave in and bought a different machine. I sold the Deer, making a small profit. Lots of headache, not much satisfaction.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Thanks for all your thoughts.  Engine and transmission parts are everywhere - both very common units.  You all are correct in that the machine is way too big for what I need in the long run.  Still undecided on this one but leaning towards purchase and use while mounting the crane, work deck, etc on the International.  Which might or might not happen next year the way business has been going.  Who knows, I might get the most value out of it as a future trade item rather than trying to fix up and resell.  It isn't going anywhere as it's parked out back in the weeds behind their shop and isn't being advertised.  I have time to think and make the right decision.
Reply:I was back out at the same jobsite this afternoon into tonight, so I took some pictures before it got dark.So now you can see what it is I'm looking at.  It definitely ain't a beauty.I'm working on a potential trade deal on this forklift.  We will see how it turns out.
Reply:Forklifts are the handiest things in the world to have if you do much steel work. I have two, a small Yale rated for 5000 pounds and an all terrain hyster rated for 6000 pounds. The smaller one is super handy around the shop because it is little and can go anywhere. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The Hyster has huge front tires and will go anywhere and is super stable due to its wide wheel base but forget trying to easily take it into tight places. It will go over and through 2' of snow, no lie. The little Yale gets stuck if it snows half an inch. So I love the little one for what it can do and the big one for what it can do. BUT I need another forklift that can lift more weight like 12000 pounds or so. I just saw a forklift sell last week for $800. It was an old Baker rated for 15,000 pounds. The thing was a beast with wasp nests all over it. They say it ran but I couldn't get it to start although it would turn over. It was so old it had lichen looking stuff growing in places on the metal. It was rough yet kind of cool. I passed because the last thing I need is a machine that will not run and always needs work which I know that thing would have been. If you have the time to put into working on your equipment go for it but if you are super strapped for time then you might consider getting one that doesn't need as much work.
Reply:TBone,Someone else has one that they use around you, I just can't recall where I saw it. I think it was a business off the Grottoes exit, have a customer there. I'll keep my eyes open for other examples.RegardsDave
Reply:The most expensive piece of equipment I own, was the cheapest I bought!  Picked up a Lull 844, for 5k, running and working.   I honestly didn't know what I was getting into.  In hindsight,  I would have been time and $ ahead buying something not so cheap.