What do you look for in a forklift?

Righty Tighty said
Thanks, everyone. Lots of very helpful and informative advice given, as always. I ended up buying the old Hyster I looked at yesterday. It's a 1971 S40C-P, gasoline engine, 4,000lb capacity. Unfortunately, it's got solid tires, but my pockets aren't quite deep enough for a unit that has pneumatic tires. I think it'll do what I need it to do, and I can easily make my money back if and when I decide to upgrade.

The owner was a nice Asian man who didn’t speak much English, but we made due. He didn’t realize it’s a 2 stage — he indicated the lift height by drawing a line across his chest, and was amazed when I lifted the forks all the way up.

I think she’ll clean up nicely.

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Keep the mast chains and carriage bearings lubed. Periodically raise it to full height to "exercise" the mast components and keep it all working smoothly. Don't leave it stored outside for extended periods unless covered. The sun and rain will dry up the lube and UV rays will damage the rubber hydraulic lines. If you are ever lowering the forks and the chains go slack, the fork carriage could be hanging up due to worn carriage bearings or lack of lube. If that happens, they can suddenly fall and cause injury. Never stand under, or allow another person to stand under the raised forks, with or without a load.