Trailers
Equipment Transport Trailers
Please note that standard cushion and pneumatic tire forklift trucks (sit-down riders, stand-up riders, and walk behind) do not trailer well and you should avoid transporting these types of trucks by trailer. Consult your material handling equipment dealer who usually has the proper truck equipment for transporting forklift trucks.
- First, these trucks are very heavy and a high net payload capacity trailer with several tie-down points is required for safe transport.
- Second, these trucks have a narrow frame and tire track and they can tip over laterally if not kept level. They use high durometer tires which results in very small "patch" or footprint - the contact area where the tire meets the ground. Traction and braking control is less than ideal under nearly all conditions, especially on ramps or sloped surfaces. Thus trailer loading and unloading of these vehicles can be difficult and hazardous.
- Third, these trucks have very low underclearances between the frame and the ground, under the mast, and under the counterweight. They do not have good gradeability for loading and unloading using ramps. Hang-ups can occur and create a dangerous situation.
- Most equipment transport trailers are designed for moving construction machinery such as skid steer loaders which have wide frames and tire tracks, large tires with low air pressure and large footprint, and high underclearances.
- If you plan to transport a forklift truck via trailer, you will need a trailer with a low bed height and tilt bed design to minimize the slope angle for loading and unloading, and a wide loading ramp and deck reinforced for forklift truck traffic and constructed of hard wood or with a non-slip surface finish.
- Please, Please, Please Do Not Attempt to load a forklift truck onto a standard equipment transport trailer designed for construction machinery!
