Practical forklift advice from the Illinois Industrial Equipment team.
Showing 1-12 of 61 articles
Blog Post
A forklift hit a rack upright? Learn when to evacuate, isolate, or unload the bay, how to judge column damage, and what to check on the truck afterward.
October 22, 2026
Blog Post
Is a forklift rental damage waiver worth it? Compare fees, deductibles and exclusions, and learn when to buy it or skip it before you sign.
October 20, 2026
Blog Post
When a forklift breaks down mid-shift, stop it out of traffic, lower the forks, neutralize the controls, shut off the power and set the brake. Then tag it out, report it immediately, and decide within the hour whether to repair it, swap in another truck or rent a replacement.
October 1, 2026
Blog Post
Federal OSHA does not set a retention period for forklift inspection records or for operator training records. The policy most safety managers can defend is simple: keep daily inspection sheets for at least 12 months, keep every defect and repair record for the life of the truck, and keep each operator’s certification for as long […]
September 29, 2026
Blog Post
A new fork positioner arrives, the installer walks up to the truck, and the cab has three levers. It happens more often than you would think, and it almost always starts the same way: the attachment got ordered first and the forklift got checked second. Before you buy a sideshifter, fork positioner, clamp, or rotator, […]
September 26, 2026
Blog Post
A propane forklift that stalls when you tilt the mast back is usually running out of engine torque at idle. Holding tilt-back at the end of its stroke pushes the hydraulic pump to relief pressure, and a low idle, a failed idle-up, a weak LPG fuel supply, or a relief valve set above spec turns […]
September 24, 2026
Blog Post
Selling a forklift is not just a handshake and a hauled-away machine. The paperwork that goes with it, especially the service records, is what tells the next owner whether they are buying a well-kept asset or an unknown risk. Here is exactly what should change hands, what legally cannot, and how to handle the sale […]
September 22, 2026
Blog Post
A forklift that won’t move inside a trailer, or one that’s hung up halfway down a ramp, is one of the most common emergency calls a dealer gets. It’s rarely a mechanical breakdown. Most of the time the forklift is fine. What’s actually happened is a floor, a ramp, or a trailer position problem that […]
September 19, 2026
Blog Post
Can a forklift drive into a trailer safely? Yes, but only after the floor has been inspected, the trailer wheels are chocked, and the gap between the dock and the trailer has been checked. Skip any one of those three steps and “safe” turns into a guess. Warehouses run this move dozens of times a […]
September 17, 2026
Blog Post
Most warehouse floors were poured for whatever equipment was moving through the building at the time, not for whatever you’re about to buy. If you’re upgrading to a heavier truck, that gap between “what the floor was built for” and “what you’re about to put on it” is worth checking before delivery day, not after […]
September 15, 2026
Blog Post
A forklift that raises an empty mast normally but crawls or stops dead with a pallet on the forks is telling you something specific. Most troubleshooting guides list the same eight causes in the same order and stop there. What they never tell you is what each one costs, which is the only thing you […]
September 12, 2026
Blog Post
Every quote for battery regeneration looks like a bargain next to a new battery invoice. The problem is that almost nobody publishes what happens after the battery goes back on the truck. We handle these batteries every week, and the honest answer is that regeneration is an excellent buy on some batteries and a waste […]
September 10, 2026
Yard
2400 University Pkwy, University Park, IL 60484
Phone
Hours
Mon - Fri: 7am - 4pm. Emergency: 24/7
Service area
Illinois, Chicago metro, Midwest, nationwide delivery
