Counterbalance forklifts are essentially forklifts that are engineered with counterweight at the back of the machine. The counterweight works to balance the weight which the forks are carrying at the front of the cargo. This particular design is engineered to stabilize traditional forklifts. As far as electric counterbalance forklifts are concerned, the counterweight is formed by the battery itself.

Nearly every forklift manufacturer would have in their product range, a counterbalance lift truck. These equipment will come in a wide range of fuel sources, configurations, and sizes. These forklifts can with pneumatic or solid tires. They are capable of working in diverse applications. These forklifts are outfitted with a variety of accessories. Common options and attachments include: fork shifts, slip sheet attachments, side shifts and hydraulic clamps just to mention a few.

Counterbalance lift trucks have revolutionized the material handling industry. They have become the cornerstone of storage and distribution systems where they perform loading, stacking, unloading and horizontal transport functions. The standard warehouse forklifts are normally utilized for lift heights under 6 meters or 20 feet. There have been some units recently designed which can lift to heights 31 feet or 9.5 meters. The smaller 1-1.8 ton or 4000 lbs. forklifts are the main workhorses within the majority of warehouses. These are the most common models which the majority of small companies will have. The average warehouse counterbalance forklift is a wide-aisle truck that needs approximately 11 feet or 3 meters to turn in.

Counterbalance forklifts are not necessarily limited to the warehouse. They are usually utilized for heavy use and container carrying along with basically every application in between. Counterbalance forklifts are the most widely used and versatile of all materials handling machines.

Due to their durability and versatility, counterbalance forklifts are commonplace in a large array of working environments, including production, retail and warehousing. Some of the industrial use comprise: chemical, food, timber and automotive businesses.