Used forklifts

UAE logistics runs on forklifts — Jebel Ali and the free zones, distribution warehousing, block and material yards, and port handling. The market spans small electric warehouse trucks to container handlers moving forty-foot boxes.

Diesel, LPG or electric

Diesel dominates outdoor yard and construction work here: higher capacity, better on rough ground, refuelled in minutes. Electric suits enclosed warehousing where emissions and noise matter, and has lower running costs, but battery condition is the whole purchase — a cheap electric truck with a tired battery pack is not cheap. LPG sits between the two and is less common in this market.

Capacity classes

• 1.5–3 tonne — general warehouse and light yard handling
• 3–7 tonne — heavier material yards, block plants, construction sites
• 10–16 tonne — steel, pipe and heavy industrial handling
• Container handlers — empty and laden container movement at ports and free zones

Inspection

Mast channels and rollers for wear and free play; lift chains for stretch, corrosion and correct adjustment — chain condition is safety-critical and easy to check. Forks for cracking and, importantly, for heel wear: a fork worn more than 10% at the heel should be replaced, and measuring it takes seconds. Then lift and tilt cylinders for drift and weeping, transmission engagement, tyre condition, and on electric trucks a battery capacity test rather than a voltage reading.