I would not make it a habit of leaving the forks up because of just that reason- habit. The carriage assy w/ forks is around 1000 lbs & I wouldn't want anyone to get into the habit of leaving the forks up & walking under the forks because- you hever know- any number of reasons could cause the forks to come crashing down in a real hurry.

I know it's improbable- but not impossible. As far as the rental yards go- they know as much about lift trucks as I do about installing carpet- they're more interested in attracting attention than being safe. Every forklift dealer I know rents lifts but you don't see their fleet hanging around in they're yards with the carriages at full extension- they know better.