I tried to send a photo of the old CF30 in my shop, but being a PC
challanged Lift Truck guy all you got was a line of stuff.... SORRY

C30, 40 and 50s both A and B models. A models did not actually have an A in the model everyone just called them that because the came just before the Bs.
[IMG]http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w267/joetracey/CF30-2.jpg[/IMG

CF30-106-553 1963 year model]

i see machine movers with old equipment here too with nice paint and looked/ran great
i have a few customers that love the machines theyve used for 30 years
i have 1 guy whos machine is in my shop for pretty much and entire hydraulic system rebuild
its an old namco stand up he said hes had it since it was his dads place and he was a teenager
i keep tellin him it would be cheaper and a better idea to get somethin newer and he said he wants it to run until he dies lol
i told i can do the best i can but i cant make any promises
it looks like itll be around another decade

but 1 truck that looks classic would be the older clarks with the chromed intakes on the engine doors (i think that was the truck loader?or early c500s?)
i thought that was an interesting look and made it a lil flashier for machines of that era
but thank god the c500 has started to fade out
when i started forklifts 10 years ago every other machine was a c500 now i see much less of them

odd design has to go to the towmotor that the operator sat next to the engine not on top of it lol (i believe that is the lt35)
the last 1 in my area got traded in 2 years ago lol

Where I used to work in London we had professional machine movers come in to move a production line to a new factory and they all had older model forklifts to do the job and it looked to me because of the weight and power of the older units. These machines were well looked after and a source of much pride. Where I work now we have professional machine movers come in to move CNC machines around and what do they use? Older model forklifts with slant six motors in them that purr like kittens. New stuff is great but there's nothing like watching the older stuff doing the job day in day out.

As the very old models become scarce they have the potential to become collectable. There are many old machinery collectors across the country. Some that come to mind are the older Clarks like the Truck Loaders, Clippers and the Towmotor LT-35. Fifty years ago who would have thought the old twin flywheel farm engines would have any value other than junk? The same may be a said for old machinery as well.

You have to go with Clark for old lifts... My favorite of all time is the
Clark Truckloader. 1,000 LB capacity, metal tractor seat, painted
bright red from the factory... Carloaders and Clippers are ok but the
red paint and the tractor seat made the Truckloader....

Nothing made over seas(****-junk)

Clark C500 was not a good truck like stated above,But for the mom&pop stores these trucks where a classic.
Yep, them where the days C500 loading a trailer with Blatz Beer. Blaaaaaaaaaaaa Blatz to think I use to drive and drink both...not at the same time of course :0)

Anything can be a classic. If you check the Photo Galleries section of this site you will see a few photos from the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre (it sounds a lot bigger than it is). Though I don't think there is a large market for classic lift trucks, obviously there are some collectors. Surprisingly you can still find lift trucks from the 40s and 50s still being used (often in small shops or really old manufacturing facilities). From a safety perspective, I'd rather see somone fixing these up for display rather than people still using them. There are little bits of forklift history scattered around the internet. Unfortunately the linking policy of fokliftaction doesn't allow links but you can do some web searches and check out some of the older lift truck manufacturer sites (they sometimes have a history section).
If you're asking this question because you think you can make money off of old lift trucks, I think that's probably a long shot, but if you're just interested in restoring some old trucks because you like old forklifts, go for it.

I would not consider anything called a forklift a classic.
Classic cars, now thats another story.

We are talking about a piece of industrial equipment.
The most coomon truck used to the Clark C500 when I started out. It's not a good truck, there were just a lot of them. And then there would be the Towmotor because people still call a forklift of any kind a towmotor these days even though they haven't been around for years. Just like people will call a bulldozer of any type a Caterpillar.

I don't think there is any forklift that is old that anybody wants. When I say "they don't make them like that any more" when refering to a forklift, it always means the forklift is a piece of junk and they are made so much better these days.