A "hi-lift forklift" (or high-lift truck) is a broad category of forklifts designed for one primary purpose: lifting loads to significant heights for stacking and tiering. While any forklift lifts loads, the term "hi-lift" distinguishes these machines from low-lift trucks like pallet jacks, which only raise loads a few inches off the ground. A hi-lift forklift's defining feature is its ability to elevate loads to working heights for storage, retrieval, and order picking.
The Legal Definition
Regulatory bodies define a "high-lift truck" as "a self-loading truck equipped with an elevating mechanism designed to permit tiering". "Tiering" refers to the practice of stacking loads in rows or levels (tiers), which is the fundamental activity of warehouse racking and storage. This definition covers a wide range of specialized equipment beyond the standard forklift:
Type Description
High-Lift Fork Truck The most common type, equipped with forks to handle palletized loads (standard forklifts, reach trucks, etc.).
High-Lift Ram Truck Designed with a ram or boom to handle cylindrical loads like paper rolls or coils.
High-Lift Boom Truck Features a telescopic boom, like a telehandler, for reaching forward and upward.
High-Lift Clamp Truck Equipped with clamping arms to handle irregular or un-palletized loads.
High-Lift Platform Truck Fitted with a platform for transporting and stacking skids or other platform-based loads.
Key Types of Hi-Lift Forklifts
The modern market includes many specialized high-lift trucks, each designed for specific applications:
Narrow Aisle Articulating Forklifts
These machines, like the Bendi series, are designed to operate in extremely narrow aisles while still achieving high lift heights. The Bendi B40AC-HL/B50AC-HL can work in aisles as narrow as 78 inches (1.98 meters) and offers lift heights up to 41 feet (12.5 meters) with capacities from 4,400 to 5,000 lbs. The larger B55AC model works in aisles as narrow as 84 inches and offers lift heights up to 30 feet with a 5,500 lb capacity. Their articulating design and floating front axle allow them to work both indoors and outdoors on paved surfaces.
Reach Trucks
Reach trucks are the standard high-lift solution for narrow aisle warehouses. Models like the Jungheinrich heavy-duty reach truck offer capacities up to five tonnes and lift heights up to 7,500mm (24.6 feet), with a load center of 500 or 600mm.
High-Lift Pallet Trucks
These are walk-behind or ride-on electric trucks that, unlike standard pallet jacks, can raise a pallet to a comfortable working height for order picking or packing. The Toyota High Lifter Electric offers an 800mm lift height for easy load transfer, while the Vestil Steel DC Powered High Lift Pallet Truck offers a 2,200 lb capacity with 67-inch forks and a 3.5-inch minimum lift height.
Key Features and Applications
The Mast and Lift Height
The defining characteristic of a hi-lift forklift is its mast, a telescoping vertical assembly that allows the forks to rise to significant heights. Multi-stage masts (three-stage, four-stage) allow for greater lift heights while maintaining a low collapsed height for travel through doorways.
Warehouse Storage
Hi-lift forklifts maximize vertical storage density in warehouses and distribution centers, allowing operations to store more pallets in less floor space.
Order Picking
High-lift pallet trucks and order pickers raise the operator or the load to comfortable heights for selecting items from racking, improving productivity and reducing ergonomic strain.
Heavy Industry
High-lift trucks with specialized attachments (rams, clamps, booms) handle heavy, awkward, or cylindrical loads in steel mills, paper plants, and manufacturing facilities.
The Bottom Line: A "hi-lift forklift" is not a single machine but a category defined by its ability to elevate loads for stacking and tiering. It encompasses everything from standard forklifts and narrow-aisle reach trucks to specialized high-lift pallet trucks and telehandlers. When selecting a hi-lift forklift, consider the required lift height, load capacity, aisle width, and the type of load to be handled.