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Does anyone know where to find a good forklift?

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    ATLjunkcars started this thread.
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    Does anyone know where to find a good forklift?

    I buy junk cars and scrap them. Im looking to make my job easier by using a forklift to lift the cars in the air to gain easier access to the catalytic converters. Can anybody give me advice on what and where to buy a forklift from?

    atljunkcars.com



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    Check Craigs list
    also check for local companies that repair fork lifts >> They sometimes have trade in's

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    How high do you need to lift? If it's not a lot, some people out here have setups like this:



    A cheap farm tractor can be had for around $3000, and a welding shop can make a set of forks for a couple of hundred dollars. It may be an option to look into. The most important thing if you go this route is to make sure to add balast to the front of the tractor.

    Of course, put stands under the car to support it- if something slips and the car falls, it could easily kill you.
    More than Scrap Value Shipment Tips: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...tml#post242349

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    Even a forklift used as a car lift is dangerous. A hydraulic hose blow out and that would be the end.

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    Does anyone know where to find a good forklift?

    I would go for a skid steer if you can make it fit your budget. many many uses.

    please set the cars on something before you put your body under them.
    Currently looking for a job in or related to scrap/recycling. Relocation is possible for the right offer.

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    NatureRecycleFlorida's Avatar
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    if you did not care about the cars body work use a truck to pull the car on its side

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    actually a regular car lift (2 post) will be cheaper than a forklift....GRANTED the forklift can be used to move other stuff around (ie the car if it doesn't run). Ideally you will work up to having BOTH.
    PROFIT is made when you BUY/ACQUIRE NOT when you sell

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    Quote Originally Posted by kane333 View Post
    Even a forklift used as a car lift is dangerous. A hydraulic hose blow out and that would be the end.
    All my truck cranes were fitted with burst valves, trust me they work.

    Last edited by alloy2; 12-31-2015 at 10:29 PM.

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    I've never thought of checking temperature on hydraulic components to find which one was faulty, but have checked exhaust port runners on a diesel engine to locate a cylinder running cold.

    Anyhow just thought this short troubling shooting video would benefit our new fork lift owner.


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    The ultimate fork lift - home made.


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    Simple soluition. Actually three. Cheapest method is your truck and a tow chain. Wrap the chain across the roof through the opposite window and hook into something like the o **** bar. Now put truck in 4 lo and it will pull it right over. Stop wherever you want even if its compeltely on its side. 2nd method. If your truck sits high enough and have a decent push bumper, engage 4 lo and push from the side and it will go over. Those are the cheapest and if you hav strong enough chain, then no need for safety. Chain and truck will keep it falling on you. Last method is a wrecker. Drop the boom. Wrap a strap through both front windows and lift straight up in the air. Or a a good piece of steel through the windows like a i beam or channel....hook j hooks both sides and lift.

    Absolutely no need for a forklift unless your palletizing and shipping engines, transmission.

    And if you get creative, you can build a simple a frame on the back of your truck and use a winch or chain hoist to pick up crap. Then drive and drop where you want. Check youtube for hillbilly wrecker videos to see what im talking about.

    And lastly you want to pick up motors and what not. I cut two holes in my pick up box. I put my cherry picker in the back. Then ran chain through the holes to truck frame and a ratchet binder to tighten it down. Then im able to pick anything up and drive it around the yard with ease.

    In fact, back in the day my ex partner wrecker broke. He did the same **** thing. Strapped the cherry picker down in the bed. And was towing cars home with chain wrapped to a piece of steel under the bumper locked to the control arms under the car and lifted up with the cherry picker. A coupel more straps and easy driving and drug cars home with ease.

    Necessity is the mother of all invention and there is ways to do. Simple physics and egyptian technology plus redneck ingenuity and your set.

    O and when you roll a car with the chain, dont be surprised some a s s hat neighbor calls the cops on you complaing. They did with me and cop wa slike um..wtf. Um he s on private property, nothign he could do. Why was he called lol. He was actually intrigued how easy it is to roll a car right upsiude down with a chain and 4 lo...gears are your friend.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jeanbean0109 View Post
    Simple soluition. Actually three. Cheapest method is your truck and a tow chain. Wrap the chain across the roof through the opposite window and hook into something like the o **** bar. Now put truck in 4 lo and it will pull it right over. Stop wherever you want even if its compeltely on its side. 2nd method. If your truck sits high enough and have a decent push bumper, engage 4 lo and push from the side and it will go over. Those are the cheapest and if you hav strong enough chain, then no need for safety. Chain and truck will keep it falling on you. Last method is a wrecker. Drop the boom. Wrap a strap through both front windows and lift straight up in the air. Or a a good piece of steel through the windows like a i beam or channel....hook j hooks both sides and lift.

    Absolutely no need for a forklift unless your palletizing and shipping engines, transmission.

    And if you get creative, you can build a simple a frame on the back of your truck and use a winch or chain hoist to pick up crap. Then drive and drop where you want. Check youtube for hillbilly wrecker videos to see what im talking about.

    And lastly you want to pick up motors and what not. I cut two holes in my pick up box. I put my cherry picker in the back. Then ran chain through the holes to truck frame and a ratchet binder to tighten it down. Then im able to pick anything up and drive it around the yard with ease.

    In fact, back in the day my ex partner wrecker broke. He did the same **** thing. Strapped the cherry picker down in the bed. And was towing cars home with chain wrapped to a piece of steel under the bumper locked to the control arms under the car and lifted up with the cherry picker. A coupel more straps and easy driving and drug cars home with ease.

    Necessity is the mother of all invention and there is ways to do. Simple physics and egyptian technology plus redneck ingenuity and your set.

    O and when you roll a car with the chain, dont be surprised some a s s hat neighbor calls the cops on you complaing. They did with me and cop wa slike um..wtf. Um he s on private property, nothign he could do. Why was he called lol. He was actually intrigued how easy it is to roll a car right upsiude down with a chain and 4 lo...gears are your friend.
    Rolling a car onto its side bad advice for the world we live in these days, what about the transmission and engine oil that’s going to contaminate the ground not to mention the gasoline and the potential fire hazard.

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    I picked up the same loader shown in the youtube for $500.00, rebuilt the starter hung a fuel tank on the side then drover her home and used it for the next five years. The only major changes I did were to add a hydraulic winch and forks.

    I used the winch to lower heavy stuff into the scrap trailer so as not to punch out the flooring.


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    I made arrangements with a local tractor dealer that I would fill in for their low bed driver when he called in sick or was on holidays. Instead of them paying me, I would use one of their skid steer loaders or forklifts when I needed it.

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    Check out Atlanta Liftruck Salvage Inc.
    PO Box 419
    4026 N. Expressway
    Sunnyside, GA 30284
    Phone:
    770-412-8111
    There ain't nothing wrong with an honest days work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.- Old Man

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    hey just saw you are in Atlanta. I am down the road in Athens essentially...there are TONS of those typically on Craigslist from FSBO and from companies that deal in those...I know I have looked before. Start there.

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    Quote Originally Posted by webuyselltradestuff View Post
    there are TONS of those typically on Craigslist from FSBO and from companies that deal in those...I know I have looked before. Start there.
    I wish I had thought of something like that

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    Unless you roll a car completely on the roof, you will not spill any oil period. Only roll on its side and your fine. In fact you do it right, get a drill and drill a hole in the pans while on the side to drain them. Then ya good to go. And even rolling completely on roof will highly probale nopt leak much if any oil. I had a car that was a rollover many years ago, totaled. Bastard was still full on oil, no apperant leaks anywhere. All I had to do was pull the plugs and crank it voer to blow the oil out of the cylinders. And she fired right up. So if your dumping oil, you aint doing something right....

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    Try to stick with local brands
    Watch and ask for forklift parts support—some of the older models are hard to find parts for. Also Chinese models have really lousy parts support.

    I would not recommend using the forklift to lift up the car and then standing under the car and removing catalytic converter. Try to get a racking set up or something where the car is secure. I’ve seen forklifts lose their loads.

    For forklift parts check out store.intellaliftparts.com


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