The three numbers that decide the truck
- Maximum load (kg) — what you're lifting at its heaviest, including the pallet
- Maximum height (mm) — top beam of your highest racking + 200mm clearance
- Aisle width (mm) — narrowest aisle you need to operate in
Get those three right and you'll exclude 80% of unsuitable trucks before you talk to a dealer.
Capacity classes — what each is for
| Class | Capacity | Typical use | Mast height typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 — Pallet truck (electric) | 2,000 kg | Indoor pallet shifting, supermarket, light retail logistics | 200 mm (lifts off floor only) |
| Class 2 — Reach truck | 1,400–2,500 kg | Narrow-aisle high-bay racking warehouse | up to 11 m |
| Class 3 — 1.5T counterbalance | 1,500 kg | Light warehouse, retail back-of-house | 3.0–4.5 m |
| Class 4 — 2.5T counterbalance | 2,500 kg | Standard warehouse, builder's merchant indoor | 3.0–5.5 m |
| Class 5 — 3.0–3.5T counterbalance | 3,000–3,500 kg | Outdoor yard, heavier pallets, container loading | 3.5–5.5 m |
| Class 6 — 5–7T heavy | 5,000–7,000 kg | Steel, plant, IBC drum handling, construction | 3.5–4.5 m |
| Class 7 — Telehandler / VRT | 3,000–6,000 kg variable | Construction, agriculture, livestock equipment, awkward loads | up to 17 m reach |
| Class 8 — Multi-directional (Combilift) | 2,000–6,000 kg | Long-load (timber, steel, pipe) in narrow aisles | up to 8 m |
Common Irish use cases
200m² retail back-of-house, indoor only, single-shift
Class 4 — 2.5T electric counterbalance with a 4.5m mast covers ~95% of retail back-of-house jobs. Quiet, no exhaust, simple to charge overnight.
Builder's merchant — indoor warehouse + outdoor yard
Class 5 — 3.0T LPG counterbalance is the workhorse. LPG bridges indoor/outdoor; pneumatic tyres handle a yard. Mast height 4.0m typical.
Farm / agricultural — yard, livestock, silage
Class 7 — Telehandler. Forks won't cut it on uneven ground or for high-reach silage stacking. JCB and Manitou dominate this market in Ireland; Merlo also strong.
Container loading at a port or distribution centre
Class 5 minimum (3.5T). For 20-ft and 40-ft container loading you want 5.0m mast at minimum. Heavy-duty pneumatic tyres for yard surfaces.
High-bay narrow-aisle racking (warehouse pick rates)
Class 2 reach truck. A 2.5T counterbalance simply can't operate in 2.5m aisles, and you can't put a 7m mast on it without losing capacity. Reach trucks are designed for this.
Long loads — timber, steel, pipe
Class 8 multi-directional, e.g. Combilift C-Series. Operates lengthways down the aisle for long loads. Made in Monaghan; specialist hire in Ireland.
Attachments — when a standard fork won't do
- Side-shift — left/right movement of the carriage, near-essential for any operator who values pallet placement accuracy. Most modern hire fleets include it.
- Fork positioner — adjusts fork width without manual repositioning. Worth specifying if you handle mixed-size pallets.
- Drum clamp — for IBC and 200L drum handling. Specialist; expect ~€80/wk surcharge.
- Carpet pole / bale clamp / paper roll clamp — niche; ask the dealer specifically.
- Snow plough or sweeper — winter use; some yard fleets fit these as a side-business in Q1.
The capacity de-rate trap
Every forklift's rated capacity is based on a "standard load centre" of 500mm — meaning the load's centre of gravity is 500mm in front of the heel of the forks. If your load is deeper than that (which most non-standard loads are), the forklift's actual lifting capacity drops, sometimes dramatically. A 2.5T forklift rated at 500mm load centre might only safely lift 1.8T at 700mm load centre. Always check the load chart on the truck's data plate before lifting anything outside spec.