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Before you bid on a forklift at auction, match the type to your site, the mast to your doors and lift heights, and the capacity plate to your heaviest load at its real load centre. On an electric truck the battery and charger are the real cost; on diesel and LPG it is fuel, servicing and ventilation indoors. Attachments come with the lot only if the listing states them.
Which forklifts and handling equipment come up in our plant sales?
Counterbalance forklifts in diesel, LPG and electric form, from makers such as Doosan, Linde, Hyster, Mitsubishi and Caterpillar, with rough-terrain and telehandler-style machines such as Manitou alongside. The same questions apply to smaller handling kit such as pallet trucks and stackers where they appear. Each lot is sold from the seller's premises or the location stated in the lot details.
Forklifts run through our plant machinery auctions as timed online sales, which suits warehouses, logistics operators, manufacturers and builders' merchants replacing or adding trucks. Universal Auctions Group Ltd acts solely as auctioneer and agent for the vendor and is not a party to the contract of sale, which is formed between the vendor and the successful bidder. Our auctions are trade-only, so bidders register and bid in a business capacity and there is no consumer cooling-off right.
Listings are prepared from information and photographs supplied by the vendor. UAG does not mechanically inspect or test assets or provide condition reports. This guide is about reading those listings for the details that decide whether a truck suits your operation.
Counterbalance, reach truck or rough-terrain: which type suits your site?
Start from the floor and the load. Counterbalance trucks carry the load ahead of the front wheels with a counterweight behind, and suit loading bays, yards and general warehousing. Reach trucks work narrow aisles and higher stacking on smooth floors. Rough-terrain and telehandler-style machines handle unmade ground and building sites. The wrong type on the right price is still the wrong truck.
- Electric counterbalance. Where it works: Indoors, smooth level floors. What to read in the listing: Battery voltage and age, charger, tyre type.
- Diesel counterbalance. Where it works: Yards and outdoor work. What to read in the listing: Hours, mast, tyres, exhaust condition in photos.
- LPG counterbalance. Where it works: Mixed indoor and outdoor use, with ventilation. What to read in the listing: Cylinder bracket, gas fittings, hours.
- Reach truck. Where it works: Narrow aisles, higher stacking. What to read in the listing: Lift height, battery, reach mechanism.
- Rough-terrain or telehandler-style. Where it works: Unmade ground, building sites. What to read in the listing: Tyres, drive type, mast or boom, attachments.
- Pallet truck or stacker. Where it works: Loading bays, low-level moves. What to read in the listing: Battery on powered units, wheels, forks.
Telehandlers have their own boom and chain checks, covered in buying used excavators and telehandlers at auction. Whatever the type, find its weight from the listing or the maker's data before you plan the move: buyers are responsible for arranging collection and transport, and the practicalities are in our guide to collection and transport after you win.
Diesel, LPG or electric: where does the first-year cost sit?
Each power type puts the cost in a different place. On a used electric truck, the battery and charger are the capital risk. On diesel and LPG, fuel and engine servicing are the running lines, and indoor use needs a ventilation plan: HSE's lift truck guidance says workplaces using engine-powered trucks need adequate ventilation to remove exhaust fumes, and that filters are no substitute for it.
LPG brings one more site question. HSE notes that LPG is heavier than air and can collect in low, unventilated areas, and advises changing cylinders outside buildings where possible, so a gas truck suits a site with somewhere sensible to do that. Electric brings the opposite question: HSE warns that charging lead-acid batteries, including those described as maintenance free, gives off explosive hydrogen gas, so you need a suitable charging area before the truck arrives.
In this illustration the electric total is lowest, but nearly half of it is the battery and charger reserve, the line that depends most on battery condition, which a photograph cannot show, and your own figures may rank differently. On the engine trucks, fuel is the dominant line and rises with every hour worked.
Why are the battery and charger the real cost on a used electric truck?
Because the traction battery is an expensive component whose condition cannot be read from a photograph, and the charger has to match it. Look for the battery's own plate, whether a charger is in the lot and suits that battery, and whether your site has a charging area. A missing or mismatched charger is a cost before the truck moves a single pallet.
- The battery plate. Voltage, capacity and, where shown, the date of manufacture. A battery younger or older than the truck tells you something about its history.
- The charger. It forms part of the lot only if the listing states it. Check its output matches the battery's voltage and type, and what supply it needs.
- Visible condition. Corrosion on terminals and the tray, and whether the battery retention device is in place: HSE lists both the battery and its retention among an operator's pre-shift checks.
- Battery chemistry. Lead-acid and lithium-ion units need the right charger and different care, so confirm which one the truck carries.
- The charging area. Ventilated and away from ignition sources, given HSE's warning about hydrogen.
How do you match the mast to your doors and lift heights?
Three mast figures matter: maximum lift height, closed height and free lift. Lift height has to reach your highest beam or stack with the load; closed height has to pass under your doors, mezzanines and any container roof; free lift is how far the forks rise before the mast extends, which matters inside containers and under low ceilings. Read the figures, not the photograph.
Two-stage and three-stage masts give different combinations of these figures, so a truck that looks right can still be a few centimetres wrong for a door on its daily route. Do the measuring before you open a listing:
- Measure the lowest door, mezzanine or roof the truck must pass under.
- Measure the highest beam or stack it must serve, plus clearance for the load.
- Note any container or trailer work, where free lift matters.
- Weigh your heaviest load and note how deep it is.
- Only then compare listings, mast figures first and capacity plate second.
If the truck will serve existing racking, measure it first and choose the mast to it.
What does the capacity plate tell you, and what changes it?
HSE's lift truck guidance defines actual capacity as the maximum load a truck can carry at a set distance from the heels of the forks to a specified height, stated on the capacity plate or chart. Your heaviest load, at its real load centre and lift height, has to fit inside that figure. Fitting an attachment normally reduces it, and HSE says a new capacity plate should be applied before use.
- Rated capacity. What it tells you: Maximum load at the stated load centre. Check against: Your heaviest pallet or unit load.
- Load centre. What it tells you: Distance from the fork heels at which the rating applies. Check against: Deep or long loads that sit further out.
- Lift height. What it tells you: Height to which the rating applies. Check against: Your highest beam or stack.
- Capacity at height. What it tells you: How the figure changes up the mast, where a chart is given. Check against: Loads placed at the top.
- Attachment rating. What it tells you: Derated capacity with an attachment fitted. Check against: The attachment actually on the lot.
- Model and serial. What it tells you: Identifies the truck. Check against: The listing photographs and any documents.
A plate photographed clearly in the listing answers most of this. Where it is missing or unreadable, ask before the close.
Which attachments matter, and how do you know they come with the lot?
Side-shift and fork positioners are the common ones; rotators, clamps and fork extensions turn up on specialist trucks. An attachment forms part of the lot only if the listing states it. HSE's guidance says attachments, including fork extensions, affect stability and must not be used without first seeking advice from the supplier or manufacturer, so check the truck has the hydraulic services and a plate that allows for it.
A side-shift lets the operator line up a load without shuffling the truck; a fork positioner suits sites where load widths vary. Neither helps if the truck lacks the hydraulic service to run it, so count the hydraulic lines at the carriage in the photographs. The forks matter too: their length should suit your pallets, and HSE's pre-shift checks include looking for cracks at the heels and mounting hooks, which close photographs can sometimes show.
How far can you trust the hour meter and the listing?
Treat the hours as a claim to test. Hour readings are supplied by the vendor and have not been independently verified by UAG. Buyers should satisfy themselves as to their accuracy before bidding. Read the hours against the wear you can see: pedals, seat, steering wheel, fork heels and tyres. Where the listing is silent on the hours, the battery's age or whether the attachments work, price it as unknown.
The approach to reading wear from images is in judging machine condition from photographs. Viewing is available strictly by prior appointment and is strongly recommended; any testing must be agreed in advance and is subject to the vendor's site and safety requirements. Paperwork belongs in the same enquiry: a forklift used at work is lifting equipment under LOLER, and HSE says its lifting parts, such as the mast, chains, carriage and forks, need thorough examination by a competent person at least every 12 months, or every 6 months if it is used to lift people, with lifting accessories also on a 6 month cycle, or under an examination scheme, so ask what report exists.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reading the headline capacity without the load centre. A deep or long load sits further from the fork heels than the rating assumes. Check the plate against your real load.
- Buying an electric truck without pricing the charger. If the listing does not state a matching charger, it is not in the lot. Budget for one.
- Choosing the mast from a photograph. Closed height and free lift decide whether the truck clears your doors and works in containers. Get the figures.
- Running an engine truck indoors without a ventilation plan. Plan how exhaust fumes will be removed before the truck arrives.
- Assuming the attachment comes with the truck. Only what the listing states is in the lot, and a fitted attachment needs a capacity plate that allows for it.
About this guide, and where to check the terms
Last reviewed 25 October 2026. This guide is general information for trade buyers and is not legal, tax or financial advice, and every worked example in it is illustrative rather than typical or achievable. Machine condition, examination status and VAT treatment turn on the individual lot and your own operation, so check each listing and take your own advice where the position matters. The terms of the individual sale govern each lot.
- Auction terms and conditions. Registration, bidding, payment, collection, storage and export: universalauctionsgroup.com/terms-and-conditions.
- Plant machinery auctions. Current plant and machinery sales: plant machinery auctions.
- How to bid. Registration and buying, step by step: buying with us.
- Buyer fees. The buyer's premium and any other charges for a lot are stated on that lot's Additional Fees tab.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first on a used forklift at auction?
Fit before condition. Confirm the type suits your floor and work, then read the mast figures against your lowest door and highest beam, and the capacity plate against your heaviest load at its real load centre. Only then look at hours, tyres, forks and, on an electric truck, the battery and charger. Descriptions are supplied by the vendor for guidance, so ask before the lot closes where the listing is silent.
Is an electric or a diesel forklift cheaper to run?
It depends on the truck, its hours and your energy prices, so compare your own figures. On a used electric truck the battery and charger are the capital risk, while on diesel and LPG trucks fuel and engine servicing are the running lines. Engine trucks used indoors also need adequate ventilation to remove exhaust fumes, which HSE says filters do not replace, and electric trucks need a suitable charging area.
What is the load centre on a forklift capacity plate?
It is the distance from the heels of the forks at which the rated capacity applies, as stated on the capacity plate or chart. A deep or long load whose weight sits further out than that distance needs checking against the chart before you rely on the headline figure.
Do forklift attachments and chargers come with the lot?
Only if the listing states them. Side-shifts, fork positioners, clamps, fork extensions and battery chargers are all items to confirm in the description and photographs before you bid. HSE's guidance says attachments affect stability and capacity, that fitting one requires derating, and that a new capacity plate relating to the attachment should be applied before the truck is used with it.
What does a triplex mast mean on a forklift listing?
A triplex mast has three stages, which lets the truck reach a higher lift height from a lower closed height, and many triplex masts offer free lift, where the forks rise before the mast extends. Check the closed height against your doors and the maximum lift height against your racking, using the listing or the maker's data for that mast. Where the listing gives neither figure, ask before the lot closes rather than guessing from the photographs.
What should I check on a used pallet truck or stacker?
On a powered unit, the battery and charger first, exactly as on an electric forklift: voltage, age where shown, and whether a matching charger is in the lot. Then the wheels and rollers, the forks for cracks and bends, and the lift height on a stacker against the heights you need to reach. On a manual pallet truck, start with the forks, wheels and hydraulic pump.
Sources and references
- Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training and safe use (L117) · HSE, 2013 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l117.htm
- Lift trucks: Thorough examination · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/lift-trucks/thoroughexamination.htm
- Safe lifting by machine · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/lift-equipment.htm
Our plant machinery auctions can include forklifts from makers such as Doosan, Linde, Hyster and Mitsubishi, in timed online sales you can bid on from anywhere. Overseas trade buyers are welcome to participate.
View current plant auctionsUniversal Auctions Group. This article is general information for trade buyers and sellers and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
