Every day, hundreds of thousands of businesses across various sectors require the use of a forklift to keep operations running. In fact, despite forklifts often being the unsung heroes of warehouses, the Australian forklift market was valued at more than $2.9 billion in 2024 (USD 2.03 billion) and is expected to increase further as demand for the machines continues to grow.
While forklift leasing is an option considered by many, businesses looking to purchase their own machines are looking at a significant capital investment, with new forklifts ranging in price from the mid thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
For those companies looking to reduce those costs, the second-hand forklift market is a viable option.
But how do you avoid buying a lemon?
Used Forklifts – What Are You Looking For?
Before buying any forklift – whether new or used – it’s important to understand exactly what you need. This may differ from what you think you want, and it’s always worth speaking to a forklift expert if you’re unsure.
Key questions to consider include;
- What are you lifting, and what is the heaviest load?
- How often will the forklift be used?
- Is it for indoor or outdoor use, or a bit of both?
- How tight is the operating space?
Knowing these answers allows you to look for a specific type of machine within your budget, rather than simply buying a cheap forklift in the hope that it will meet your needs. Spoiler alert: it probably won’t.
Buying a Used Forklift at Auction? Buyer Beware
Auctions can be a great opportunity to pick up a used forklift for a heavily discounted price, but it’s important that buyers once again know what they’re looking for and what they’re looking at.
Consider also that machines purchased at auction are unlikely to come with a full service history. But, before parting with your money, it’s valuable to know;
- Full service history, including how often and by who.
- How many times has the machine broken down in its life and why?
- What parts have been replaced – including when, why, and were replacement parts genuine or non-genuine?
- Operational hours.
- Where has it predominately been used, and what was it lifting?
- How much money has been spent on service/repairs to date?
They’re important questions, because they provide an independent overview of the true condition of the machine. It might look shiny and barely used at auction, but without a full service history the only way of knowing how it operates in real-world conditions is once it’s in your warehouse – and by then it could be too late.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many used forklifts purchased for a ‘bargain price’, only to require several thousand dollars worth of repairs and maintenance to make the machine safe and useable.
Avoiding a Forklift Lemon? The Devil is in the Detail
At West Coast Forklifts, we maintain a detailed service history for all our machines for this very reason – we know how important it is to know the full service life of each forklift.
Whether it’s our hire fleet, used machines or client-owned forklifts, our service notes contain all relevant information including the name of the servicing technician, complete reports and checklists, and even images.
Like any piece of capital investment in a company, a forklift purchase should be considered using all available information, especially when purchasing a used machine. Because not all lemons will make lemonade.
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