It would all depend on what style of truck you are looking for.

In today's marketplace many brands are trhe same with cosmetic differences.

On the reach truck side my opinion is the Cat/Mitsi truck is the best on the market for your dollar. Many standrad features are extra cost option son the other models.

Best bet is to determine your budget and do the demo test and see for yourself.

Mate, like your style. I'm with Yale in Qld, OZ. what causes the nerves on the new NA series.

I'd have to agree.
Operators who are used to X will hate anything from Y.

From a mechanical point of view, certain brands fall far short.

The bells and whistles that manufacturers (?) put on are solely to impress the bean counters and the ceo's.

I once saw a warehouse switch from crowns to raymonds because an intoxicated VP liked the noise that the EZ's make on start-up. Now there was a sound basis for a decision!!

After sales care is very important, if the local dealer s*cks then it doesn't matter how good the equipment is, they won't make you happy.

I always tell my customers to pull the covers and look at how the units are actually put together.
The 'Keep It Simple Stupid' (KISS) choice will be the best long-term choice IMHO.
The more pieces= the more chances for failure.
The more cards/modules = the more possibility that a spilt cup of coffee will blow ~3 exposed circuit boards
You also pay a price for buying leading edge tech.
Anyone who reads my posts knows that I'm pro shyster/yale, BUT I'm a little scared of our new series of NA trucks.
ALL NEW TECH = ALL NEW PROBLEMS

Don't go on comments like "X is the best because I say so", and not "most operators prefer X"

Try them side by side and let the operators decide. This doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to peoples knowledge of operating costs for a particular model/brand.

Unfortunately you cannot also take note of users of machines taht have lasted 10 or 20+ years because they are not the same as those produced today....for many reasons.

How can you tell the difference. Demo each, side by side. Most operators prefer Raymond.

One thing you want to look at is information availability. For example Raymond will lot sell their diagnostic software outside the Raymond dealer network. So if your not happy with your local dealer your stuck. Can't vouch for the others.

I don't know about Raymond or Yale or Caterpillar but I can vouch for Clark. We have a 5-ton unit that is over 20 years old and is still working great!

Ltguru.com has detailed specs, pricing, used values and a residual value calculator (annual cost) or mhguru.com for individual "model report".

Buy Crown, after that the others don't count.

By far the best side by side comparisons can be obainted through lift truck guru. I think thier website (URL removed). They have the most to date info from all manufacturers they even have the new nacco truck specs

If you don't mind spending some money, you can get "Pocket Specs" for Lift Trucks. You can see these are www.equipmentwatch.com. It's basically a organized listing of manufacturer's specs. It's not bad, although a little expensive for what you get.

Depending on what it is that you want to do, dropping into a lift truck dealership can prove to be fairly beneficial as well. Most reps. would love to talk about their product against the competition.

Apples to Apples is fine for a been counter, but you must also consider all the intangables of aftermarket. Hwo will be providing service? What is their response time and product knowledge? How cost effective are the spare parts, a cheap part costs your company exorbitant amounts of money if the delivery is days or weeks longer than another manufacturers. How much assistance can you recieve in: training, service, warrenty, parts, and SAFETY TRAINING?

Hi Russell w. You can get an apple to apple specs comparison of a lot of (more than 2,000) fairly new models on the Forklftaction website. Click on "Spec Checker" on Left hand side this page.
The list is not complete by any means but we are working on it. I understand that you want more than just basic spec comparisons and will be interested to see what our other readers have to add.