[JLHarper]

I found a T300 CAT FORK LIFT that the owner rolled outside six/seven months ago due to lack of space.

He uses it ever so often to unload delivery materials ( shipping boxes) and said it will hold a load.

Hes about out of business and has dropped the price down from 2000 to 1300 to 1000 to best offer.

I looked at the chain and forks which has surface rust on them, but can be cleaned up I think.

Paint and cosmetics look decent.

Propane. Hard tires.

How can I tell the shape of the hydraulic unit, or do you think this lift sitting outside has messed anything up that could be costly?

What do batteries cost for these ballpark?

Thanks for the info.....

Jeff

[hobbygto65]

Check for leaks, cracked hoses, should take a regular car battery. Its the electric ones that are expensive, about 2 grand for a battery. Other than that you should be able to tell if anything else is wrong with it by test driving it. I've driven fork lifts for 26 years but never had much to do with maintenance other than checking oil and water but I would think there pretty much like a car other than the hydraulics.

[Sirrotica]

Rusty lift chains should be oiled down with a 50/50 mixture of, 30W oil and ATF. If they get stiff and walk off the rollers on the lift cylinder the load is coming down. It does happen so make sure they are flexible. The lift chains are the only thing holding the forks up and their condition is important. If there is no evidence of hyd. oil leaking out of the lift cylinder or tilt cylinders your probably fine there.

The hydraulic system is pretty bulletproof and leaking seals or clogged hydraulic filters are the most common problems. It's normal for forklifts to drift down slightly with a load on them, an inch in 10 minutes is acceptable. Extend the lift cylinder and check for bad chrome on the ram as it tears up the seal and is expensive to have re-chromed.

The bottom of the forks should not be worn down more than 10% of the measurement taken at the vertical part that rides against the carriage. Many times operators drag them on the floor and wear the bottoms out making them unable to hold the rated capacity. Your probably not going to lift anything near capacity but if you are this is also a concern.

Check the radiator and make sure it's not clogged with fuzz and stuff in the fins, this is a maintenance item many times overlooked and can cause overheating. Blowing the radiator core out with an air hose usually is needed when the oil is changed, but it depends on the environment where it's used.

If it has the long thin 12V battery you can usually get one for around $100. Most forklifts have a small battery of some type because of the premium on space under the hood.

The engine should start up and idle smoothly, if so the propane fuel system is fine. Propane doesn't like to start when the temperatures get around freezing either.

I hope this helps Jeff I've been repairing them since I was around 20 years old. I hope I have answered all your concerns.

[mike nixon]

Batteries are stupid money as are the chargers for the electric ones. Propane driven units are pretty straight forward and parts aren't terrible to find. There'll be [or shopuld be] an Id tag that gives specs for the lifting height, weight ect.

Offer 500.00 for it if you want it and see if he bites.

MIke

[runninwild]

A Cat T300 has a 30,000 lb. capacity. That is an awfully large fork truck and can be extremely dangerous to operate without proper training. In very good condition this truck could sell for around $50,000.00. Sounds like a deal at the price you mention, but think very carefully. You need to fully understand not just the controls and how they work, but understand how the load affects the performance and stability of the vehicle. Go to YouTube and do a search for Fork Truck Accidents. Some wild stuff there. See what happens when an operator gets careless. I agree with Sirrotica and his checklist, especially the heel of the fork themselves. That is very high stress area and they do wear from dragging. Hydraulic leaks usually reveal themselves by puddles of fluid. Small leaks are usually not a problem, just check the fluid level. If you have a 3 ft. puddle, that is a problem. Propane fuel is very common and safe, and much less noxious when used indoors. Controls should be proportional, just like your gas pedal. Move the fork up lever slightly, and the forks should raise slowly. Move it more, forks move faster. Rear wheel steering takes a while to get used to. You can activate more than one control at a time, but unless you are in a real big hurry, no need to. Remember, every time you push or pull a lever, something is going to happen. Make sure what is going to happen is what you want to happen. Be careful and good luck.

[JLHarper]

I must have written the MODEL down wrong. Its a T30....much smaller lift capacity...lol

I appreciate all of the help: HOBBY GTO 65, BRAD, MIKE and RUNNINWILD.

Plenty of excellent info posted, thanks.


Jeff

[gtoguy1967]

Batteries can be big $$. These things are worth $0.30 if they are junk, Actually a little less today as lead is down.
You could expect to pay about $2500 for an 80% battery for a sit down truck give or take for the size.
If your interested in a good truck you might look here, http://shop.ebay.com/crownmove/m.htm..._from=&_ipg=25

This is where I work and I can tell you we sell some nice trucks there.

[runninwild]

lol. That little 0 makes a big difference, but it also makes it more dangerous because the likelihood of overloading a 3,000lb as opposed to a 30,000lb vehicle is greater. Still sounds like a deal. No shop should be without one.

[JLHarper]

Yes, it sure does.....lol... it turned out ot be a "D" and I couldnt read my own handwrighting!

T30D

A lot of these for sale right now, many business's selling them.

The older I get the more I look at equipment to help me out.


Thanks again all,

Jeff

[runninwild]

If you have the room to keep something like that, what a deal. I can think of about a million times I wish I had one. Just think, no more lifting. Especially helpful if you have no help.