hello everyone!

Wheel base in the distance from the center of the steering (rear) axle (or tires) to the center of the driving (front) axle (or tires).
Overall width is the maximum width of the vehicle usually over the drive tires.

If your concern is maneuverability - you need to look at the vehicles turning radius. For working on smooth surface concrete solid or press-on cushion tires will afford you the pest turning radius & narrowest width. Pneumatic tires are best when working on uneven surfaces (broken concrete surfaces negotiating over rail tracks, etc. A 45k lift capacity unit, cushion or pneumatic tire unit will tear up an asphalt surface, the cushion unit will do it faster.
Tire life is a function of operating surfaces, condition, operator, how often a unit is running empty - about 60% of the GVW is on the steer tires (which are smaller than drive tires) when the unit is empty and when steering they are subject to a lot of scrubbing pressures. You can expect to replace two sets of steer tires per each set of drive tires.

What's the difference between the "wheel base" dimension and the overall width of the machine?
As I mentioned before, I am looking at fork trucks and taking their size/maneuverability into strong consideration, so I am very confused by a width measurement of 116 inches and then a wheel base measurement of 138 inches.

Edit: A few more questions:
Which tires are better for concrete; pneumatic or cushion tires? Which are better for asphalt (although I think most of the truck I'm looking at will sink straight through asphalt, especially in the summer).
What's the typical life expectancy of each tire? Or rather, which tends to last longer?

I spoke on the phone with a Hoist dealer rep, very friendly, who apparently was already working with our company on another truck. He was eager to stop by and talk to me face to face, which would have been a welcome relief for me. Yet he did not show yesterday... I suppose we hadn't made it a for-sure thing; without date-and-time appointments, people rarely get together I suppose.

Still waiting for him to send me a quote on the truck you mentioned, and the next size up though.

did they help you?

Thanks Toyzilla. That *is* a very fetching machine. I'm still waiting to hear back from Hoist about it. I'll be calling them later on today to see if they can get me a quote or put me in contact with a dealer.

Hoist Lift Truck
40,000-45,000 lbs 92" wheel base 72" width 161" to fork face 52,000-58,000 lbs total weight
30" load center

rGamblin.
Let me clarify what the basic rated load capacity of lift trucks means.
In the US you will see the basic rated capacity stated e.g. as 20,000 lbs at 24" load center or L.C. This capacity is based on a given configuration of the truck, e.g. 144" lift, two section (or stage) mast with basic carriage & forks and assumes that the load is lifted to the full vertical extension of the mast.. If you would select a three section mast and add a front end attachment like a jib crane or side shift. More than likely the net lifting capacity would be reduced to say 16,000 lbs at 24" load center.
The load center is measured from the face of the fork (the front of the vertical section of the fork where the load would rest against) to the center of gravity of the load in both the horizontal & vertical directions. When a manufacturer states the capacity rating at 24" load center they are referring to a homogeneous cube that measures 48" x 48" x 48". Most companies do it this way for sake of comparison & testing compliance to industry standards. When lift trucks get above 35,000 lbs. basic capacity you will often find that the capacity is stated at a 36" load center and at 48" (for container handling equipment).
In your business a fork mount jib boom is commonly used. The boom has various lift points to sling chains through to lift the various size of machinery. The lift truck manufacturer (through their authorized dealer) can provide you with the net lift capacity at each of these pick points.

The dimension from the center of the driving axle to the load center that lifter 01 provided you is used to determine the in-lb rating of the lift truck. This dimension includes the load center (e.g. 24") plus the truck's front overhang. I won't go into what this means - you only need to understand what the net lifting capacity is at various load centers with a given mast & attachment. You need to provide the supplier with things like how high you need to lift, fork length requirements, any attachment, maximum weight & size of loads you will be lifting.

The load center refers to how far the center of the load is from the center of the front wheels. The further forward it is the less capacity you will be able to lift. Hope this helps

One thing that keeps coming up as I'm looking over different machine specs, is "load center"
I'm not sure what this means, but it does seem to affect the lifting capacity of the truck.
Does load center refer to the geometry of whatever object you're lifting?
Or does it refer to an adjustable feature on the fork face itself?
How/why does it affect lifting capacity?

Thanks & Good Luck in your search.
Yeah I was in the LT biz for 41 years.

Thank ya much for the referral, John. These guys do at the very least have trucks that would lift what we want lifted.
I was following some conversations in a different thread, and I am very impressed with your on-the-page experience and your demonstrated knowledge of the industry.
Needless to say your recommendation will weigh in Royal's favor if and when they get back to me.

Try Royal Tractor - here is some contact info.

109 Overland Park Place New Century, KS 66031

Phone: 913.782.2598 Fax: 913.782.4588 E-Mail: WebSales at RoyalTractor dot com Web Site: royaltractor dot com (replace all the at & dots with the appropriate symbols.

They "kinda" look like older Caterpillar units. At one time Royal & Cat were joined at the hips - some Cat dealers handle the Royal line.

Yeah, I forsee that being an issue also, although the 6ft width isn't a hard constraint. We could probably go up to as wide as 8ft. That's what we were realistically expecting while wishfully hoping for a 6footer.
I've found at least one that's 7ft wide so far, and hopefully others like it will turn up. For now, I'm having a hard time even finding the right capacity.

good luck finding a lift that small (6ft wide) that can handle that weight class.
my guess is you will have to find someone like RICO or some company like that to custom build you one. I dont know if RICO builds regular masted lifts or not but that doesnt mean they won't. You'll just have to talk to them and tell them what you need.
I've never seen a machine that weight class that small.