I have purchased 4 hysters over the last 2 years 2-#15500 and 2-#5000 lifts. They are work horses...... and of the 4 I purchased 3 came from Washington State and 1 came from chicago. when I need another I'll go back to Washington......... Superior sales and service!!!!!

It seems to me that our appetite for "cheap" whatsoever is what has decimated our own manufacturing power. Our innovation...copied and cheapened. This is why furniture, apparel, socks and virtually all consumer products are coming from China.
We can't complain about the impact of cheap market ruining products and participate in our own devaluation. Congress can't legislate our way out of our appetite for cheap.
How do we expect our customers to be willing to pay for the value they receive if we aren't willing to support the back bone of the US? If these products were "better" AND "cheaper" it could serve us to re-evaluate the how and what of our business, but they are NOT better...just cheaper. So take off your MAGA cap and buy one!

Raymond,
The engine you got from Helmar may or may not be OEM original, there are people knocking them off, but the Nissan, now Umicarriers, is still building the newest versions GK series which many OEM's are using.

I met a guy who purchased a Viper, He showed me a photo of the Data Plate which shows the model year, 2020
Engine. Nissan
and some other info. Im pretty sure these are Chinese manufactured forklifts.
What strikes me as odd is the "Nissan" reference. Nissan no longer manufactures forklifts or engines and has not for several years. I recently purchased a Nissan short block K25 from Helmar and it has all the signs of a quality Japanese product. I could have purchased a long block K25 for the same money from the same vendor but it would be a Chinese built motor.
Remember the Honda Trail mini bikes from the 60's thru 80's. Those were quality Japanese built bikes. China manufactures the 'Monkey' trail bikes, motor says Honda but its a poor quality copy as is everything they manufacture. Heli is the same no quality junk.

I realize you have already purchased a different unit, but I wanted to put in my 2 cents for the next guy.

These are represented all over our local Craigslist. I haven't seen one in person, so I can't properly judge them. However, they appear to use the Nissan K25 engine with the Impco VFF30 & Cobra fuel combo on their LPG units. For diesels, it looks like Cummins or Deutz engines. I did note that the sideshifters are made by LDSJ (Liandong Engineering) which are a Chinese copy of Cascade products. The only lifts I've seen with this brand of sideshifter were made in China. Final assembly could be anything from attaching headlights & mirrors all the way to installing from modular pieces. I suspect the former.

But I agree with swoop223. If you are going to put this lift into a plant where business dollars are relying on it. You need to know that if a part is broken, can a replacement be obtained in a reasonable time-frame. Otherwise, you'll be losing money while you wait or will be paying for a very expensive rental. On the other hand, if this would be an occasional use machine, it might be worth the risk.

I found a 2011 15,500lb. lift in Seattle that had less than 1500 hours for a good price.
I will say I was surprised to learn Viper puts cummins diesel's in there bigger lifts

Admire your brand loyalty Jim. Even though Viper was 25k less than Hy, still able to make deal! What a Wowya deal!!!

I saw Viper at A place in Chicago where I looked at a Hyster.
ended up Purchasing a Hyster from Arizona lifts for an exceptional price.
We have had very good luck with our Yales/Hysters, it will take quite allot to get me to change.........
Thanks for the input,
Jim

If you Google the address it looks like Viper is part of Illinois Lift Equipment, same address. My guess would be that it is a Asian manufactured truck that they have private branded for them as Viper.
Easy way to find out is ask them where they are manufactured.

this is a new company, their revenue history only started in 2015 from what i can find. The company 'viper' trademark was originated and registered in 2014.
As to where they are being manufactured i haven't found anything on that yet. I would be very interested in finding this out before i made a definitive decision on a purchase from them. Factory and dealer support are critical to machines serviceability in every case on any brand.

If you look on their website they are not very forthcoming with any company history, probably because they do not have much of one yet being they are very new in the lift truck industry.

Hopefully they are a good brand but they are just too new to have an honest opinion on them. You should really find people that have purchased them to get a better idea on 'how dependable' they really are and if its worth the cost savings you see on the front line.
Remember you get what you pay for, the hyster brand is a reputable brand that has been around for decades and specializes in large lifttrucks. Yale, caterpillar, taylor and kalmar also sell comparable units of the same capacities.

Not much history on viper so not much to compare.

If you want to give them a shot contact them and see if they offer a 'demo program' so you can test them out before you buy.