How to Load and Transport a Rented Forklift

A forklift spends its working life on a flat slab, which is exactly why hauling one catches people out. The machine that moves pallets around a warehouse all day is dense, oddly balanced and rides on small, hard tires with almost no ground clearance. None of that is built for a ramp.

Get the trailer, the tie-downs and the weight distribution right and transporting a rented forklift is a routine haul. Get them wrong and you're fighting a machine that wants to slide, catch its forks or sit wrong on the deck.

Start with the Machine's Numbers

Pull the forklift's operating weight first, and take it seriously, because these machines are heavier than they look. A counterweight forklift carries a big cast counterweight over the rear axle, so even a modest warehouse machine can run several tons.

Note the length with the forks on, the width, and the height with the mast lowered, since the lowered mast is what sets your loaded height on the road. Add the weight of any attachment riding along, and remember an electric forklift's battery is a large part of its weight and stays with the machine. Those numbers pick the trailer and tell you whether you're anywhere near a permit threshold.

Trailer Selection

Match the payload

The trailer's payload, which is its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) minus its own empty weight, has to exceed the forklift's weight with margin. Confirm the axle ratings and your tow vehicle's rating cover the loaded trailer, not the empty one. Read more about GVWR for how the weight ratings work.

Why a tilt deck is often the better pick

A forklift has very low ground clearance and small solid tires, so a steep ramp angle is exactly the wrong thing. The underside can drag at the transition where the ramp meets the deck, and the forks can catch on the way up. A tilt deck trailer removes that transition, since the deck itself lowers to the ground and becomes the ramp, which is the cleanest way to load a low machine. Read more about which machines need one in the tilt deck trailer rental guide.

When an equipment trailer works

An equipment trailer handles a forklift when the deck is rated for the weight and the ramp angle is manageable. Use long, rated ramps to keep that angle shallow, and check the deck width against the machine, since a wide forklift wants a deckover or a wide deck rather than a deck squeezed between the wheel wells.

Loading It On

Set up

Load on firm, level ground with the tow vehicle's brake set and the trailer chocked. Small solid tires don't grip a wet or muddy ramp well, so pick a clean, dry surface where you can, and keep everyone clear of the ramp and the machine. Have a trained operator drive it on, since a ramp is no place to learn the controls.

Drive on with the heavy end uphill

Back a counterweight forklift up the ramp, heavy end first, so the counterweight leads and the machine doesn't get nose-heavy on the incline. Keep the mast tilted back and the forks low, a few inches off the deck so they clear the transition without dragging. Go slow and straight with a spotter watching, and center the machine side to side on the deck.

Weight Distribution for the Road

Position it for tongue weight

Set the forklift so roughly 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight lands on the tongue, which usually means positioning the machine slightly ahead of the trailer's axles. Too far back and the trailer will sway. Too far forward and you overload the hitch and squat the tow vehicle.

Remember the counterweight

A forklift's weight isn't centered. The counterweight sits at the rear, so what matters is where the machine's center of gravity lands on the deck, not where the middle of the machine sits. After loading, check that the tow vehicle sits level, and reposition the machine if the rear is squatting or the front feels light. Read more about how to load a trailer for tongue weight and distribution.

Securing the Forks and Mast

Lower and secure the mast

Lower the mast fully and tilt it back before you secure anything, so the machine's height and center of gravity are as low as they go. Then secure the mast so it can't extend, shift or rattle in transit.

Deal with the forks

Lower the forks flat to the deck, or take them off and secure them separately on the deck, so they can't catch, swing or shift. Forks left up are a hazard to the load and to anyone working around the trailer.

Chain the machine down

Secure the forklift with rated chains and binders at the manufacturer's designated tie-down points, not with straps and not to random parts of the frame. Use at least four tie-downs, with enough combined working load limit (WLL) for the machine's weight, angled to pull forward at the front and back at the rear so the machine can't creep under braking. Set the parking brake, shut it down and chock the wheels. Then re-check the chains after the first few miles, once everything has settled.

Legal Height, Width and Permits

Add the deck height to the machine's lowered mast height to get your loaded height, and measure it rather than guessing, because low bridges and overhead wires don't forgive a bad estimate. A wide forklift can also push you past legal width, which means an oversize permit and possibly flags or signs on the load.

Stay within the trailer's GVWR and axle ratings and your tow vehicle's limits, and don't stretch any of them to make a load work. If the haul is more than your setup can handle, having the rental partner deliver the machine is the simpler route.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• Start with the forklift's operating weight, length, width and lowered mast height, since those numbers pick the trailer and decide whether you need a permit
• The trailer's payload has to exceed the machine's weight with margin, and the axle and tow ratings have to cover the loaded trailer
• Low clearance and small solid tires make a steep ramp the enemy, so a tilt deck is often the cleanest load, while an equipment trailer works with long, rated ramps
• Back a counterweight forklift up the ramp, heavy end first, mast tilted back and forks low, and center it on the deck
• Position it so roughly 10 to 15 percent of the weight lands on the tongue, remembering the counterweight sits at the rear
• Lower the mast, lower or remove the forks, chain it at the designated points with at least four rated tie-downs, chock it and re-check after a few miles

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