Discussion:
Opinions on piggyback forklifts

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a piggy back forklift and wanted to get some feedback before buying.

First, anything I should really consider before buying that someone with no experience like me wouldn't think about?

The major players seem to be Princeton, Moffitt and Manitou. Am I missing any major players?

My biggest concern is value which means quality to me. I want something that is quality made and a workhorse and that won't need me to fix something every other day. I'd also like to purchase from a company that will be around in 5 years and that has a lot of parts around.

Thanks for any advice you can throw my way.
  • Posted 17 Mar 2009 00:01
  • By BGurd
  • joined 16 Mar'09 - 1 message
  • Louisiana, United States
Showing items 1 - 11 of 11 results.
Princeton-just make sure it has the diesel engine. Moffet did have a good diesel unit, not quite sure they still offer it though. Princetons are pretty tough though.
  • Posted 5 Apr 2012 23:18
  • By chublil
  • joined 28 Jul'09 - 187 messages
  • California, United States
Fix it right!!!
your going to get a wide varation of opinions on which one is best but in my experience repairing them the most popular brand used in my area seems to be the moffet mounty. Second most popular brand would be princeton. Both units are very similar but the princeton appears to be the more expensive between the 2 parts wise. As for the manitou i wouldnt bother with that one, its overpriced for what you get and parts are hard to get sometimes.

As for dependability? Well either lift (moffet or princeton) will do fine for you IF you take care of it properly. Some of the most common issues i've come across with any of them is operator abuse conditions. Other than that i rarely deal with any breakdowns due to part failures. Note i did say rarely but dont be mislead by this because as with any equiptment failures do occur occasionally.
  • Posted 2 Apr 2012 20:26
  • Modified 2 Apr 2012 20:29 by poster
  • By Jplayer
  • joined 12 Apr'07 - 407 messages
  • North Carolina, United States
John Player Jr
_________________
LiftOne, LLC
Charlotte, NC
Email: jplayer@liftone.net
No matter how good the equipment is, it will eventually need repairs due to wear and tear. Top notch quality parts and accessories can prolong the usability of the equipment which will redound to the benefit of the company in terms of savings.
  • Posted 2 Apr 2012 03:13
  • By DanielBlair
  • joined 2 Apr'12 - 2 messages
  • Indiana, United States
www.forkliftaccessories.com
As I advise all my customers when purchasing new equipment, dealer service has to be taken into account. I have customers with Moffets, which seem like good machines, but the local dealer is 1 1/2 hours away. I repair little things on the units because when the dealer gets it, it's always a 2 week or more turn around. I'm not saying this is true of all Moffet dealers, just the one in my area. I'd check into parts availability & dealer reputation first, then decide on a brand. If you can't get parts or the dealer ***, no matter how good the machine is, it won't be a productive unit.
  • Posted 29 Mar 2012 23:19
  • By bbforks
  • joined 1 Mar'12 - 1,437 messages
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
Moffett and Princeton are both Hiab brands, basically they are same.
  • Posted 29 Mar 2012 22:27
  • By gvnlp
  • joined 22 Feb'08 - 4 messages
  • istanbul, Turkey
Hey Sam
I haven't been on for a while and missed your post. We would love to handle your repair needs- but are quite far away. If you make deliveries in the Baton Rouge area we could schedule something fir you. Shoot me an email if you want at steve at forkliftt dot com
  • Posted 14 May 2011 12:34
  • By Forkliftt
  • joined 13 Jul'09 - 321 messages
  • Louisiana, United States
Hi Steve,

We're up in the NW part of Louisiana (Sabine Parish), and are looking for a good maintenance and repair shop for our Moffett M5000. Also looking for a shop manual, or at least a parts manual for our emergency repairs we can handle.

Funny, I personally prefer the Lister Petter engine over the Kubota...and use them in our hydraulic power supplies. No problem finding manual for the L.P. engines! Haven't had to get parts for the engines yet other than oil filters we got at auto parts supply that fit fine.

Any advice and help is greatly appreciated,

Thanks, Sam
  • Posted 23 Feb 2011 14:08
  • By sam_w
  • joined 23 Feb'11 - 3 messages
  • California, United States
Think it through
and I would offer that the first thing you need to consider is the truck you are going to be using this with, it's capacity, and the rules/laws about size (overall length of the trailer or truck is naturally extended with a truck mounted unit added) and weight. not every truck mounted unit can be hauled on every truck. I also agree fully with all the brands mentions, and would also consider a spyder brand, as the quality and ability to repair quickly and cost effectively is almost as important as a heavy duty frame* and the extra weight that comes with the previously mentioned brands.
* after an accident at highway speeds, it doesn't really make much difference how "heavy duty" the machine is except that the heavy duty frame is harder and more expensive to fix
  • Posted 18 Jul 2009 05:48
  • Modified 18 Jul 2009 05:57 by poster
  • By edward_t
  • joined 5 Mar'08 - 2,334 messages
  • South Carolina, United States
"it's not rocket surgery"
BGuard,
I had a customer that purchased 2 of theNavigators and had good success other than a repetative tail pipe issue. My personal favorite is still the Moffett. Good parts availability and average prices- seal kits are a bit high. The M55 is the newer style. The M5000 or 5500 are good machines also. I just sold a very low hour M5500 to one of my retail customers. Keep in mind that a truckmountable will never see the service life hours that a yard machine can tick off. 1000-1400 hours is enough time to begin showing wear of not properly maintained. Also I suggest the Kubota engine, much better parts availability.
Steve
  • Posted 18 Jul 2009 04:38
  • By Forkliftt
  • joined 13 Jul'09 - 321 messages
  • Louisiana, United States
BGuard,
We offer a brand called Kesmac. It is built in Canada. We have had alot of luck selling this unit in florida. The 3 wheel drive unit handles very well in the sand. Check it out at kesmack dot com. I have a new one in stock that I can sell you at a very deep dicount. Save $10,000
  • Posted 19 Mar 2009 10:52
  • By Snookzilla
  • joined 28 Dec'08 - 6 messages
  • Florida, United States
BGuard,

There is one other brand around, a company out of Mississippi called Navigator. Not as well known as Moffitt or Princeton but my experience with them is that they are quite structurally sound (especially in the mast traverse system and easy to adjust), parts are commonly available, price competitive, company was very responsive to customer issues (seemed to do what is right for customer satisfaction). Plus, the trailer mounting kit is less expensive, similar to the Teledyne Princeton system (always ask how much it is & an estimate for the installation cost). They have a web site.

Had a customer in 2002 when I sold them, they were in the sod business & they tried them all, except (Manitou) and kept coming back for more Navigators & still do. Units held up well in the lumber business.

There are two other brands called "Donkey" & "Grass Hopper". I would not recommend them but to each their own.

From three you identified Moffit would be my second choice.

I am retired from the lift truck business now - just sharing some of my experiences.
  • Posted 17 Mar 2009 02:59
  • By johnr_j
  • joined 3 Jun'06 - 1,452 messages
  • Georgia, United States
"Have An Exceptional Day!"

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Fact of the week
The use of "hello" as a telephone greeting is attributed to Thomas Edison. He is said to have suggested it as a simpler alternative to other greetings, such as "Do I get you?" or "Are you there?".