Hello, this is a question for the independent forklift repair business owners out there. I am currently a forklift technician for a Yale hyster dealer and I enjoy working on forklifts as I find it different and better than the automotive side. At some point I would like to have my own business, however one thing for me is accessing service, repair and diagnostic aids when I do. My question is, how do I get over that hump of not having the troubleshooting info as we all know many manufacturers in the material handling industry are very strict when it comes to accessing that. Obviously I know I'll have the knowledge of most mechanical repairs but it's mostly electrical troubleshooting and wiring issues id be a bit afraid of getting into. Tia
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Go for it. Forest thing is we independence need to push for the "Right to Repair Act". As far as getting around the corporate crony capitalists theres a few solutions. First of all find a brand that doesn't lock out and restrict the private tech so much and push your customers to buy those machines. Some pf the more accessible brands that don't need a laptop every time the operator sneezes are Crown, Toyota which allow most diagnostics to be done from the dash. The worst one out there are companies like Jungheinrich and I tell my customers to retire them early and get a Crown instead. They usually see ROI in short time in decreased service costs. Then there are some other in between companies where good friends can lend you a manual or you can get them from overseas where right to repair act has already been passed (talk to your own lawyer about the legality). Reach out to me direct for more assistance.
Many repair manuals are available online. Google tradebit.
It also helps to have mechanic friends at your dealership and other dealerships who are open to doing side jobs.
In the last 10 years Ive had to call in the dealer 2 times when there was no other way to access a system. But I explained to the customer why that was. The manufacturer created this situation where only their mechanics could access and set up some systems. And when the customer has to pay the bill from the dealer there's no question who they'll blame for the situation.
And 99% of problems don't need access to proprietary repair platforms. Just keep working and learning until you feel confident that you can handle most anything. Treat your customers fairly and show up as soon as possible and you'll keep them forever.
I had a friend in the business who would always have his customers call the dealer when he went on vacation. When he got back from vacation his customers were more loyal, not less.
You can also pick as your first big customer a place that has trucks whose systems you do have access to. You can get the handsets for GE and Zapi from Flight Systems. Almost all my Hyster and Yale machines are EV100Lx. I've done well with just the GE handset and Curtis software. I keep thinking about getting the Zapi handset but I've never really needed it.
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