All Forklifts are rated according to how much weight they will lift on a certain size pallet. The weight of the load you will need to lift will dictate the size and capacity of the forklift you will require to lift the load.

A standard Australian pallet measures 1200mm by 1200mm packed with a load in a uniform manner (no more than 1200mm high). Meaning that the load on the pallet is uniform throughout. The load centre of a standard Australian pallet is 600mm

If your load is wider, longer or higher than 1200mm, this moves the load centre and decreases the weight carrying capacity of the forklift.

Always allow for a safety margin in what you are lifting.

Load centre is best related as a man leaning on a crow bar, the further out he is from the object, the more force he is a applying to the object. In this analogy, the object would be the forklift and the load would be the man trying to unbalance it. This is what happens, if there is too much load on a forklift, the rear steer wheels of a forklift will come off the ground. And you will lose steering control.

If you can tell us the typical dimensions of your load our highly trained staff can recommend a new or used forklift to suit your needs.