Calculating ForkLift weight

delraydella · Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:14 pm

This is another question that has nothing to do with welding, but I figured someone here would know the answer!............

What is the best way to calculate/ closely guestimate the weight of a fork truck? I'm bidding on one and need to know so I can plan the right size trailer to bring it back in should I win. The auction site is no help, neither is the manufacturers. Anything I found on the web wants me to pay for a report on specs and I don't want to.

The unit is a Cat GP20K- LP with pnuematic tires. The maximum weight lift is 4,000 pounds. Can I safely assume the weight of the truck to be roughly twice that of lift weight, or about 8,000 pounds? Or would it be closer to maximim lift weight plus a little over for counterbalance, roughly 5 to 6 thousand pounds?

Thanks for any help!
Other Steve

Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:29 pm

Hey there,

Hope this helps, though i cant see the model you are after. They may be new model numbers. You're right it was hard to find.

http://www.cat-lift.com/_cat/index.cfm/ ... ft-trucks/

Mick

delraydella · Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:04 pm

Thanks Mick, the chart helps a lot. I couldn't find the model either but based on similar weight classifications, I think I can approximate the weight between 6750 and 7610 pounds.

Other Steve

Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:07 pm

Hey,

All good, I hope you win it.

Mick

Dane_09 · Wed May 28, 2014 2:29 am

I am running a business of providing second hand forklifts to needy people. I am so thankful to you Mick for sharing this chart. I find it so useful. Thanks once again.

rick9345 · Wed May 28, 2014 8:35 am

Like a teeter-tooter at low height machine needs to = Load capacity , so with extende mast machine will be more than double load capacity

BensJamming · Wed May 28, 2014 11:36 am

If nothing else ask the seller to check the tag thats riveted on the machine. It should tell you an exact weight for that model, along with all its capacities.

Those are awful hard to just look at and make a decent guess thats close.

mateo32 · Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:36 pm

If you're going to buy a forklift maybe its a good idea not to skimp on the owners manual...?

mcoe · Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:58 pm

I would definitely contact the seller. We had a big tractor style forklift at the one company I worked for in the oil field. It's tag said such and such weight on it but they had added about 500 pounds of suitcase weights to in the engine compartment. You never would have known if you didn't look under the hood so ask if any extra weights were added also.

Dsouza9 · Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:27 am

Thanks for information. I am going to buy pair of second hand forktrucks for my construction business. Now I will use youor idea for calculating weights of vehicles.

Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:22 pm

Cool!

This topic had been dormant over a year and a half, then someone resurrected it, and now someone has made use of it.

How great is that?!

Steve S

delraydella · Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:19 pm

Glad the question helped someone!

I never did win the forklift, it went beyond my budget at the time. The reason I asked was most of the used equipment I bid on from time to time comes from a government surplus site. There's little if any information on most of the machinery and it's usually a building custodian who lists whatever is up for auction. All of the equipment goes from agency to agency before it's put up as auction surplus, so any manuals or other original information is impossible to come up with. You have to use your best judgment on all of this stuff, whether it's worth it or not to bid on with so little to go on. So far I've gotten very lucky, though!

Other Steve