Questions about buying and financing used forklifts and access platforms

Yes. Lenders on our panel fund start ups and sole traders as well as established companies. For a new business they look at your experience, your credit history and the work the truck is needed for, such as a new warehouse lease or a contract. A first truck sometimes needs a deposit on top of the VAT.

Renting suits short projects and covers servicing, but the weekly cost never stops. If you need a truck most days for more than a year, buying a used one on finance usually costs less overall and you own it at the end. Many firms keep one owned truck for daily work and rent extra trucks for peaks.

Yes. We fund trucks from dealers, auctions and private sellers. The lender checks who owns the truck, that no finance is still owing on it and that the price fits its age and hours. Agree the finance before you bid at auction so the money is ready when payment is due.

For a well serviced diesel or gas counterbalance truck, 10,000 to 15,000 hours is common before major work, and electric trucks often run longer on the drive side but need a healthy battery. How the truck was used matters more than the number: a single shift warehouse truck wears far less than one run around the clock in a yard.

Check the mast for wear on the rollers and chains, look for oil leaks on the lift and tilt rams, test the brakes and steering, and look at the tyres. Ask for the service history and the latest LOLER thorough examination, which lifting equipment needs at least every 12 months. On an electric truck, ask for a battery test report.

Electric suits indoor work: quiet, no fumes and cheap to run, but you need charging space and the battery is a big cost when it wears out. Gas trucks work indoors and out and refuel in minutes. Diesel suits outdoor yards and heavy loads. Match the fuel to where the truck works most of the day.

Take your heaviest regular load and check its centre of gravity, then allow for any attachment, which reduces capacity. The rating on the data plate falls as you lift higher, so check the capacity at your top racking height, not just at ground level. Most warehouses run 1.5 to 3 tonne trucks.

When the truck works on gravel, mud or uneven ground: builders merchants, timber yards, farms and building sites. Rough terrain trucks have larger tyres, more ground clearance and often four wheel drive. A warehouse counterbalance truck on rough ground wears quickly and is less stable.

Yes. Reach trucks, very narrow aisle trucks, side loaders and multi directional trucks are funded the same way as counterbalance forklifts. They cost more new, which makes used ones good value, and lenders are comfortable with the mainstream makes.

Yes. Scissor lifts, boom lifts and vehicle mounted access platforms can all be financed new or used. Platforms that lift people need a LOLER thorough examination at least every six months, so ask for the latest report before you buy.

A bit of both. A Teletruk works like a forklift but has a single telescopic boom to one side, so it can reach over a trailer bed or into a stack. Operators usually need forklift training rather than telehandler training. You can find full size telehandlers on Plant Monthly.

Usually, yes. The lender pays the full price and you pay the VAT at the start as the deposit, then reclaim it on your next VAT return if you are VAT registered. That is how every monthly price on Forklift Monthly is worked out.

Yes. A fleet of trucks, plus chargers and attachments, can go on one agreement with one monthly payment. That is easier to manage than several agreements ending on different dates.

Anything from 12 to 120 months is possible across our lenders, but most used trucks run over three to five years. The term usually matches how long you expect to keep the truck before changing it.

Every listing shows an illustrative monthly payment on business hire purchase over 48 months, with the VAT paid as the deposit. Your actual rate depends on your business, the machine and the lender.

Every listing is checked against the dealer's own website every night. Machines come off as soon as the dealer marks them sold or takes them down.

No. Forklift Monthly is a trading style of CW Asset Finance, a credit broker. We search a panel of more than 60 UK lenders and are paid commission by the lender when an agreement completes.