Guides
The answers, before the sales pitch
Practical guides to help you compare hire options, prepare your site information and ask informed equipment questions. Sources and review dates are included where relevant.
Cost & decisions
How Much Does Forklift Hire Cost in Melbourne? (2026 Rates)
Real Melbourne forklift hire rates for 2026: electric counterbalance weekly rates by capacity, what long-term rates include, and the questions that decide your final price.
Read guide →Forklift Hire vs Buy in Australia: The Real Numbers
Should your business hire or buy a forklift? The cash-flow, tax, maintenance and residual-value maths for Australian SMEs, with worked examples.
Read guide →Is There a Government Grant for Electric Forklifts in Victoria? (Honest Answer for 2026)
Checked against primary government sources August 2026: no Victorian or federal grant currently funds electric forklift purchase or hire. What the VFDC program actually covered, what VEU does cover, and what genuinely reduces the cost of switching.
Read guide →Forklift Hire Agreement: The 9 Clauses to Read Before You Sign
What a long-term forklift hire agreement in Australia should spell out: term, hours allowance, servicing, fair wear and tear, delivery, insurance, early exit and end-of-term options — and the questions to ask when a clause is missing.
Read guide →Choosing the right machine
Electric vs LPG Forklift: Running Costs for Melbourne Warehouses
Lithium electric vs LPG forklifts compared on running cost, emissions, maintenance and suitability for Melbourne warehouse work — with realistic annual cost figures.
Read guide →Forklift Capacity Explained: Why a 2.5t Forklift Can't Always Lift 2.5t
Rated capacity vs residual capacity: how load centre, lift height and attachments reduce what a forklift can actually lift, and how to read a load chart before you hire.
Read guide →Full Free Lift Explained: Why Container Work Needs an FFL Mast
What full free lift (FFL) means on a forklift, why it matters inside shipping containers and under low doorways, and which masts have it.
Read guide →EP vs Toyota Electric Forklifts: An Honest Comparison for Hire Decisions
EP Equipment vs Toyota electric forklifts compared honestly: purchase price, resale value, warranty, service networks — and why the comparison changes completely when you hire instead of buy.
Read guide →Opening a New Warehouse in Melbourne? The Forklift Decisions to Make Before Day One
A practical checklist for new warehouse fit-outs in Melbourne's west and south-east: power provisioning for chargers, racking vs mast heights, dock equipment timing and why hire beats buying for month one.
Read guide →Electric Forklifts in Cold Stores and Food Plants: What to Check Before You Hire
Running a lithium forklift in chillers, freezers and food-processing areas: battery capacity in the cold, where to charge, condensation when moving between zones, non-marking tyres, washdown and hygiene, and the questions to put to a hire supplier.
Read guide →Forklift Tyres and Floors: Solid, Pneumatic or Non-Marking — What Your Surface Needs
How to match forklift tyres to your floor: solid tyres for smooth concrete, pneumatic for rough yards, non-marking for food and retail floors, polyurethane for warehouse trucks — plus the floor checks, wear signs and the hire-agreement rule that tyres are usually excluded from fair wear and tear.
Read guide →Power & charging
Single-Phase vs Three-Phase Forklift Charging: What Your Site Needs
Before you hire an electric forklift, check your power supply. What single-phase and three-phase charging means, which forklifts need which, and what to do if you only have standard outlets.
Read guide →Lithium Forklift Site Requirements: What Your Melbourne Site Needs Before Delivery
Everything a Melbourne site needs before a lithium forklift arrives: power supply, charging area setup, floor ratings, doorway clearance and the WorkSafe requirements that apply.
Read guide →How Long Does a Lithium Forklift Take to Charge? Real Numbers for 50A, 60A and 100A Chargers
Actual charge times for lithium forklifts: 50A, 60A and 100A chargers against 150Ah–280Ah packs, what a lunch-break top-up really returns, and which chargers need three-phase power.
Read guide →Safety & compliance
Forklift Licence in Victoria: LF Licence Requirements Explained
What licence you need to operate a forklift in Victoria: the High Risk Work Licence (LF class), who needs it, how to get it, and what employers must check before anyone drives.
Read guide →Forklift Pre-Start Checklist: What Operators Must Check Daily
A practical daily pre-start checklist for electric forklifts — the checks Victorian warehouses should log before every shift, and why the paper trail matters.
Read guide →How to Read a Forklift Data Plate (and Why the Big Number Lies)
Reading a forklift capacity data plate: rated vs residual capacity, load centres, mast derating, attachment effects — and the two lines that actually decide if your pallet is safe.
Read guide →Forklift Traffic Management in Victoria: What WorkSafe Expects on Your Floor
WorkSafe Victoria's forklift safety guidance in plain terms: the three-metre exclusion zone and how it grows with raised loads, traffic management plans, barriers, speed limiting, seatbelt interlocks and proximity devices — and what the 2024 inspection program looks for.
Read guide →Maintenance & servicing
Forklift Maintenance on Long-Term Hire: What's Actually Included?
What 'fully maintained' forklift hire really covers in Australia — scheduled servicing, fair wear and tear, breakdowns — and the exclusions to check before you sign.
Read guide →Lithium Forklift Battery Care: 7 Charging Mistakes That Shorten Battery Life
How to charge a lithium forklift properly: the charging habits that extend LFP battery life, the mistakes that shorten it, and what's different from lead-acid.
Read guide →Returning a Hired Forklift: What Counts as Fair Wear and Tear (and What You Pay For)
Component by component, what the Australian forklift industry treats as fair wear and tear at the end of a hire term versus chargeable damage — body panels, overhead guard, seat, tyres, mast, forks, battery and charger — and how to avoid an end-of-term bill.
Read guide →Tell us your site. We’ll tell you the right forklift.
Ten minutes of fit questions, a same-day written quote, dealer delivery across Melbourne.