duodeluxe: Baker may have been the first with SCR but the drive motor controller A-C introduced in 1966 was a transistor based control called PWM w/100% motor control (ie no by pass circuit). I believe the Yale control (Tech 5 ) was also a transistor controller.

each truck has to be evaluated on an individual basis, masts differ widely in design. some trucks have wearstrips or slippers to take up longitudinal play, others use tapered mast bearings installed at an angle to fit tightly in the channels and shimming takes up play on both axes. excessive play can also be caused by broken bearings or bent/spread-out mast channels. look for flaking in the channels where the bearings travel. and dont forget to stay clear of the mast components that they dont fall on you or chop your limbs off!
you need to remember that each hour of work you find can represent $70-90 of labour and that has to be balanced against the asking price of the truck and what it will be worth in safetied, ready-to-go condition. keep the big picture in mind and dont lose yourself on the details. good luck

Will shimming take care of side to side play as well as front to back play?

It would indicate that it needs shimming which is about a 6 to 8 hour job on most trucks with triple masts.

By the way, I though Baker was the first truck with SCR travel controls which was introduced in trucks about 1967.

Steponmeboom,thanks for the info, and the heads up on the Clark lemon series.I feel pretty good that you came up with a short list.

Especially useful is your mast inspection instructions. If I were to find a mast which seemed to have a lot of inner side/outer side play,what would that indicate?

Juan,
I typically do not advise end users on how to perform mast inspections as they are a dangerous mechanism to work on, but I can give some general pointers. Never put your arms or legs through the upright where they can be severed if the mast drops unexpectedly, and never stand underneath or on top of the forks. Also, do not stand between the mast and the truck body as the levers could be activated unintentionally. If you raise the forks a foot or so, and tilt the mast all the way back, you can then crib the bottom of the mast with hardwood to check the condition of the mast support bushings and tilt cylinder pins by tilting the mast forward and observing relative movement of the tilt yokes against the pin supports, and the mast yokes against the axle tubes. With the forks raised to eye level, take a sightline down the fork shaft to check for bending, and take a sightline across the carriage bars to check for straightness. A gauge is required to measure the wear of the fork heels, which cannot exceed 10%. Use a prybar to move the inner rails side-to-side against the outer rail and if the play seems excessive, beware. (There is a more proper way to measure this which I would consider too dangerous for an unsupervised beginner.) Visually check all welds for cracks, all cylinders for leaks/wetness/visible drifting (accompanied usually by a periodic cracking/banging sound) and all hoses for cuts and slashes (hoses must be replaced if the stainless or nylon braiding is cut or damaged). A special gauge is also required to measure chain stretch (allowable 3%) but you can check chain pins for turning (all swage marks must be positioned perpendicular to the run of the chain and no joiner links may be used in the run of chain that travels over the pulleys) and excessive rust/lack of lubrication. Mast bearings typically fail at the bottom of the mast, but can be dangerous to check if the mast is not properly supported. If in doubt, pass it up.

I would suggest going with the popular brands rather than an off-brand/gray market truck, i.e. one that was not configured for the american market (they do show up in auctions or basement sales from time to time) take the model/serial number and ask the local dealer for a wheel cylinder or air filter and see if they recognise the model number. if they don't, run. The only exception I would make to this would be the Clark GCS/GPS/GCX/GPX series trucks as they did have problems at one point with the outer mast channels cracking at the mast support welds, and I have never enjoyed driving them or repairing them. the gear selector lever is enfuriatingly difficult to accurately shift into neutral, the floorboard weighs a ton and often develops deep rust scale that gets everywhere, filters are difficult to access, the cylinder head is expensive to service and sparkplugs often seize in them without antiseize, and don't get me started on the hub seals with the rotating inner member.... or the secondary chains of unequal length... and theyre just not comfortable...

So,just going through your responses gentlemen,a Toyota truck would be a good choice.And some of you like the 5 series which seems to be 1990ish.

Are there any other trucks of that era that would be recommended?
Are there any that would be wise to stay away from?I'm probably going to have to be open to all brands to find those specs (Hyster,Clark,Yale,Cat,Nissan,TCM,Komatsu,etc.)

I'm not talking about brand generalization,I'm talking about models of a certain era or let's say a transmission or engine to stay away from.

Roadtek,thanks...around 189".

Juanhanded, I'll keep an eye out for something for you. Being your in NY, and I live in CT, location should not be a problem. You stated a 3 stage mast. Do you have a height in mind?

Johnr - thanks for the education. I started in this business in '78, so the elect's were well on there way. I could sit and BS with you for hours with your experience. When I first started I did primarally IC's. Now I do primarally electric's.

@ Steponmebboom, I get it about the mast.Your response to my previous questions instilled that in me. I intend to be able to perform a decent daily inspection.And yes,after my purchase I will bring it to a tech for a thorough going over,boom wise.I'll find out what to keep an eye on for my particular mast and what parts to keep on hand to reduce down time.

Maybe you can give me some tips on what to look for,mast-wise.I can deal with typical parts changing,and expect that...I just don't want to overlook very serious flaws or fatigue.I'm talking about during the purchase process.

@roadtek,It's an IC truck I'm looking for.Yes,I'd like to stick with something that is known to be easy to work on and has parts easily available.

After some thought and some advice (some here),this is what I am looking for:

-Propane power
-3 stage mast
-pneumatic tires
-4000 pound capacity

I can't really go with a 5000 lb machine because I want to be able to tow it with my 5 ton trailer when I need to get it somewhere. I won't be moving anything around over a ton much anyhow.

I guess every manufacturer has made one with these specs,but 4000 pound machines are less plentiful than 5000 pound machines.

Road Tech - just a bit of an update for you - solid state motor controllers were first introduced in electric in 1966 in the US. The first companies were Allis Chalmers w/PWM (AC designed transistor controller) & Eaton Yale & Towne (I believed they called it a Tec 5 - I stand to be corrected on that point). Both companies claimed to be the first to introduce solid state controls in lift trucks. Shortly. after 1967, the rest of the industry, Clark, Lewis Shepperd, etc equipped their elctrics with GE SCR controls. Hyster & Towmotor did not have elctrics at that time. Hyster got into elctric by buying Lewis Sheppered.
I joined Allis Chalmers in 1967 & worked on the service/parts manuals for the PWM controls in their 8000/10000 electrics with dual drive motors. In 1966 AC enjoyed 32% market share of the sit down elcectric market but by 1969 it dropped to ~10% when other introduced the GE controllers.

Thats a pretty broad question. I'll try and give a dated answer. Electronics started in lift trucks in the early 70's as EV 185 and EV 210 systems ( feel free to correct if I miss something). As all mfg's progressed, the industry standard became EV 1, then EV100 for most (Raymond has always had their own system). In the late 80's and through the 90's, electronics boomed. Starting in the late 90's, the big names all went to controller based traction and lift systems in their top trucks. It really depends on what your looking for, IC, or electric. For an IC - stay before '02 or so. An electric - it depends on your needs.
In response to steponmebbbboom - I agree the Toyota 5 series was a good IC truck. The early 7 series is as well. Let us know what your looking for and we'll try to help more.

I think the real answer to this question comes back to the thread you started earlier, and at the end of the day the truck still should be inspected by a professional technician on a yearly basis. As long at it is in fit condition, it can be as old as you want it to be. I have always found Toyota 5 series trucks to be very easy to maintain and repair, and find parts for, but whomever works on this truck must be trained and educated on how to inspect and maintain the upright portion of the truck (mast) so a dangerous condition can be recognised and corrected before an accident occurs. Chain stretch, cracking and pin turning, mast bearing damage and clearances, mast channel spread and weld condition, mast support bushing condition, mast adjustment, and fork/carriage condition are all very important in keeping your truck safe and specs can vary from one truck to another. I would worry much more about whether you have a competent person to keep the mast tip-top rather than keeping the engine running. A running truck with a broken mast is much more dangerous than a dead truck with any mast. I know you stated the hours will be low but by your description of the jobsite they will be very hard hours and damage to the mast is likely in that environment. Pick a truck with good ground clearance and foam filled or solid softy tires, a valid mast inspection, and stay up on those inspections. Good Luck