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Forum:

Lifting machines

Discussion:

Opinions on piggyback forklifts

Number of messages: 12

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BGurd
Louisiana, United States

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a piggy back forklift and wanted to get some feedback before buying.

First, anything I should really consider before buying that someone with no experience like me wouldn't think about?

The major players seem to be Princeton, Moffitt and Manitou. Am I missing any major players?

My biggest concern is value which means quality to me. I want something that is quality made and a workhorse and that won't need me to fix something every other day. I'd also like to purchase from a company that will be around in 5 years and that has a lot of parts around.

Thanks for any advice you can throw my way.

Posted 17 Mar 2009 00:01 AM

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johnr_j
Georgia, United States

BGuard,

There is one other brand around, a company out of Mississippi called Navigator.  Not as well known as Moffitt or Princeton but my experience with them is that they are quite structurally sound (especially in the mast traverse system and easy to adjust), parts are commonly available, price competitive, company was very responsive to customer issues (seemed to do what is right for customer satisfaction).   Plus, the trailer mounting kit is less expensive, similar to the Teledyne Princeton system (always ask how much it is & an estimate for the installation cost).  They have a web site.

Had a customer in 2002 when I sold them, they were in the sod business & they tried them all, except (Manitou) and kept coming back for more Navigators & still do.  Units held up well in the lumber business.

There are two other brands called "Donkey" & "Grass Hopper".   I would not recommend them but to each their own.

From three you identified Moffit would be my second choice.

I am retired from the lift truck business now - just sharing some of my experiences.

-------------------------
"Have An Exceptional Day!"

Posted 17 Mar 2009 02:59 AM

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Snookzilla
Florida, United States

BGuard,
We offer a brand called Kesmac. It is built in Canada. We have had alot of luck selling this unit in florida. The 3 wheel drive unit handles very well in the sand. Check it out at kesmack dot com. I have a new one in stock that I can sell you at a very deep dicount. Save $10,000

Posted 19 Mar 2009 10:52 AM

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Forkliftt
Louisiana, United States

BGuard,
I had a customer that purchased 2 of theNavigators and had good success other than a repetative tail pipe issue. My personal favorite is still the Moffett. Good parts availability and average prices- seal kits are a bit high. The M55 is the newer style. The M5000 or 5500 are good machines also. I just sold a very low hour M5500 to one of my retail customers. Keep in mind that a truckmountable will never see the service life hours that a yard machine can tick off. 1000-1400 hours is enough time to begin showing wear of not properly maintained. Also I suggest the Kubota engine, much better parts availability.
Steve

Posted 18 Jul 2009 04:38 AM

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edward_t
South Carolina, United States

and I would offer that the first thing you need to consider is the truck you are going to be using this with, it's capacity, and the rules/laws about size (overall length of the trailer or truck is naturally extended with a truck mounted unit added) and weight. not every truck mounted unit can be hauled on every truck. I also agree fully with all the brands mentions, and would also consider a spyder brand, as the quality and ability to repair quickly and cost effectively is almost as important as a heavy duty frame* and the extra weight that comes with the previously mentioned brands.
* after an accident at highway speeds, it doesn't really make much difference how "heavy duty" the machine is except that the heavy duty frame is harder and more expensive to fix

-------------------------
webhome = http://forktechs.com
"it's not rocket surgery"

Modified 18 Jul 2009 05:57 AM
by poster.

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sam_w
California, United States

Hi Steve,

We're up in the NW part of Louisiana (Sabine Parish), and are looking for a good maintenance and repair shop for our Moffett M5000.  Also looking for a shop manual, or at least a parts manual for our emergency repairs we can handle.

Funny, I personally prefer the Lister Petter engine over the Kubota...and use them in our hydraulic power supplies.  No problem finding manual for the L.P. engines!  Haven't had to get parts for the engines yet other than oil filters we got at auto parts supply that fit fine.

Any advice and help is greatly appreciated,

Thanks,  Sam

-------------------------
Think it through

Posted 23 Feb 2011 02:08 PM

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Forkliftt
Louisiana, United States

Hey Sam
I haven't been on for a while and missed your post. We would love to handle your repair needs- but are quite far away. If you make deliveries in the Baton Rouge area we could schedule something fir you. Shoot me an email if you want at steve at forkliftt dot com

Posted 14 May 2011 12:34 AM

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gvnlp
istanbul, Turkey

Moffett and Princeton are both Hiab brands, basically they are same.

Posted 29 Mar 2012 10:27 PM

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bbforks
Pennsylvania, United States

As I advise all my customers when purchasing new equipment, dealer service has to be taken into account. I have customers with Moffets, which seem like good machines, but the local dealer is 1 1/2 hours away. I repair little things on the units because when the dealer gets it, it's always a 2 week or more turn around. I'm not saying this is true of all Moffet dealers, just the one in my area. I'd check into parts availability & dealer reputation first, then decide on a brand. If you can't get parts or the dealer ***, no matter how good the machine is, it won't be a productive unit.

-------------------------
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!

Posted 29 Mar 2012 11:19 PM

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DanielBlair
Indiana, United States

No matter how good the equipment is, it will eventually need repairs due to wear and tear. Top notch quality parts and accessories can prolong the usability of the equipment which will redound to the benefit of the company in terms of savings.

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www.forkliftaccessories.com

Posted 2 Apr 2012 03:13 AM

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Jplayer
North Carolina, United States

your going to get a wide varation of opinions on which one is best but in my experience repairing them the most popular brand used in my area seems to be the moffet mounty. Second most popular brand would be princeton. Both units are very similar but the princeton appears to be the more expensive between the 2 parts wise. As for the manitou i wouldnt bother with that one, its overpriced for what you get and parts are hard to get sometimes.

As for dependability? Well either lift (moffet or princeton) will do fine for you IF you take care of it properly. Some of the most common issues i've come across with any of them is operator abuse conditions. Other than that i rarely deal with any breakdowns due to part failures. Note i did say rarely but dont be mislead by this because as with any equiptment failures do occur occasionally.

-------------------------
John Player Jr
_________________
LiftOne, LLC
Charlotte, NC
Email: jplayer@liftone.net

Modified 2 Apr 2012 08:29 PM
by poster.

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chublil
California, United States

Princeton-just make sure it has the diesel engine. Moffet did have a good diesel unit, not quite sure they still offer it though. Princetons are pretty tough though.

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Fix it right!!!

Posted 5 Apr 2012 11:18 PM

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