Counterbalance lift trucks are essentially forklifts which are engineered with counterweight at the back of the equipment. The counterweight works to balance the weight which the forks are carrying at the front of the load. This specific design is engineered to stabilize conventional forklifts. When it comes to electric counterbalance lift trucks, the battery itself forms the counterweight.

Counterbalance lift trucks can often be found in every manufacturer's product range. They are normally manufactured in a range of configurations and sizes, using a variety of fuel sources. These forklifts can be outfitted. They could work in various applications. These lift trucks are equipped with a variety of accessories. Common options and attachments include: slip sheet attachments, fork shifts, hydraulic clamps and side shifts just to name some items.

The counterbalance forklift has in fact changed the whole industry of material handling. These equipment are important to the shipping and receiving centers around the world because they are used for stacking, loading, horizontal transport functions and unloading. The standard warehouse lift trucks are normally used for lift heights less than 20 feet or 6 meters. There have been some units recently designed that can lift to heights 31 feet or 9.5 meters. The smaller 4000 lbs. or 1-1.8 ton forklifts are the main workhorses within the majority of warehouses. These are the most common units which the majority of small businesses will have. The standard warehouse counterbalance forklift is a wide-aisle truck that needs approximately 3 meters or 11 feet to turn in.

What's more, the counterbalanced forklift is not necessarily confined to warehouse environments. They are normally used for heavy use and carrying containers together with basically every application in between. Counterbalance forklifts are the most versatile and widely used of all materials handling equipment.

The counterbalanced lift truck is common in many working environments, such as production, retail and warehousing. This is due to their versatility and durability. Several of the industrial applications include: food, chemical, automotive and timber industries.