The counterbalanced forklift is a lift truck that uses a counter balance that is attached to the back end of the equipment. This counterbalance effectively balances loads that are placed on the forks at the front end of the equipment. This particular design is engineered to stabilize conventional lift trucks. As far as electric counterbalance forklifts are concerned, the battery itself forms the counterweight.

Practically every forklift producer will have in their product range, a counterbalance forklift. These equipment will come in a huge variety of fuel sources, configurations, and sizes. These forklifts can be designed with 3 or 4 wheels, or be outfitted. They can work in various applications. These kinds of lift trucks are outfitted with various types of accessories. Common options and attachments consist of: side shifts, hydraulic clamps, slip sheet attachments and fork shifts just to mention a few.

The counterbalance forklift has in fact changed the entire industry of material handling. These machinery are important to the shipping and receiving centers all-around the planet since they are used for stacking, loading, unloading and horizontal transport functions. The standard warehouse forklifts are usually used for lift heights under 20 feet or 6 meters. There have been some units recently designed that are capable of lifting to heights 31 feet or 9.5 meters. The smaller 4000 pound or 1-1.8 ton forklifts are the main workhorses in the majority of warehouses. These are the most common models that most small businesses will have. The average warehouse counterbalance forklift is actually a wide-aisle truck that requires about 11 feet or 3 meters to turn in.

Counterbalance forklifts are not necessarily limited to the warehouse. They are often used for container carrying and heavy use together with pretty much every use in between. Counterbalance lift trucks are the most versatile and widely used of all materials handling machines.

The counterbalanced forklift is common in many working environments, like warehousing, production and retail. This is because of their versatility and durability. Some of the industrial use include: timber, automotive, chemical and food industries.