How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Forklift?

How much does a forklift rental cost?
Sawyer McGuire

Sawyer McGuire

Marketing Coordinator at Hy-Tek Material Handling

  • Read Time: 6 mins

Whether you are looking to move some heavy objects around your yard or you work in a warehouse that needs to transport product, you can easily find rental equipment in your area.

However, when looking around for pricing, you might find yourself asking – How much does it cost to rent a forklift?

Well look no further, I have taken the time to compile a list of rental prices.

After calling in and researching prices online, I pulled together everything and made pricing ranges from several forklift dealers and direct rental dealers such as, SunBelt and HomeDepot.

Forklift Rental Price List

Renting a forklift is expensive, but when compared to buying one outright you will save THOUSANDS.

The decision depends on how long you need the forklift for… below I have put together a table of the most common rental equipment and their daily, weekly, and monthly prices.  

Internal Combustion Engine Forklift Rental Prices

  • The cost to rent an ICE forklift with a load capacity of 3,000 to 5,000 lbs. is $225-$300 per day, $400-$600 per week, and $1,100-$1,400 per month.
  • If you want an ICE forklift with a load capacity of 6,000 to 8,000 lbs. you will pay around $230-$400 per day, $450-$700 per week, and $1,200-$1,700 per month.
  • Renting an ICE forklift with a load capacity of 10,000 lbs. is $270-$475 per day, $500-$775 per week, and $1,550-$1,900 per month.
  • An ICE forklift with a load capacity of 12,000 to 15,500 lbs. will cost $300-$500 per day, $750-$1,000 per week, and $2,300-$2,500 per month.
  • The cost to rent an ICE forklift with a load capacity of 16,000 to 21,500 lbs. is $350-$600 per day, $850-$1,100 per week, and $2,600-$2,800 per month.
  • An ICE forklift with a load capacity of 22,000 to 36,000 lbs. will cost $700-$850 per day, $1,650-$1,850 per week, and $4,800-$5,400 per month.

Electric Forklift Rental Prices

Class 1 Forklift Key Info for sit-down and stand-up models

Electric forklifts consist of both 3-wheel and 4-wheel options. 

These are mainly used indoors, and if you will be keeping the forklift stored outside, I recommend that you only look at ICE lift trucks. Electric forklifts can sometimes have an exposed battery and as you might guess, rain and other weathering does not mix well with it.

  • The cost to rent an electric counterbalanced forklift with a load capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 lbs. is $170-$300 per day, $400-$650 per week, and $1,175-$1,500 per month.
  • If you want an electric forklift with a load capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 lbs. you’ll be charged $200-$350 per day, $450-$750 per week, and $1,300-$1,800 per month.
  • Renting an electric forklift with a load capacity between 7,000 and 10,000 lbs.  is about $250-$400 per day, $600-$900 per week, and $1,600-$2,200 per month.

Further Reading: Learn about the different types of Class I Electric Forklifts, their ergonomics and battery types here!

Order Picker Rental Prices

Yale Class II Order Picker

The first type of Class II forklift that you can rent is an order picker. 

Typically, rental requests that are received for these machines are in food distribution, retail & e-commerce and health & pharmaceuticals. 

Order pickers all have the same load capacity, so rental prices vary based on the maximum lift height of the machine. 

  • The cost to rent an order picker with a lift height up to 276″ is $180-$225 per day, $380-$450 per week, and $1,150-$1,250 per month.
  • An order picker with a lift height greater than 276″ will be between $200-$230 per day, $450-$500 per week, and $1,350-$1,500 per month.

Reach Truck Rental Prices

Class II Yale Reach Truck

Another class II forklift that you can rent is the reach truck.

Similar to order pickers, reach trucks all have the same load capacity, so rental prices vary based on the maximum lift height of the machine. 

  • Renting a reach truck with a lift height up to 258″ is about $200-$240 per day, $450-$500 per week, and $1,350-$1,500 per month.
  • A reach truck with a lift height greater than 258″ will be $230-$260 per day, $500-$560 per week, and $1,600-$1,700 per month.

Turret Truck Rental Prices

Yale Class II Narrow Aisle Turret Truck

Finally, amongst the class II rental options we have the turret truck. 

These trucks are very niche and are only used in a few industry segments 

There are not daily rental options because turret trucks typically are large machines that call for custom pallet spacing, so renting for one day is unheard of. 

  • Renting a turret truck with a lift height up to 258″ is about $1,350-$1,600 per week and $3,300-$3,600 per month.
  • A turret truck with a lift height greater than 258″ will be between $1,650-$2,000 per week and $4,000-$4,500 per month.

Further Reading: Master the basics of Class II forklifts with our article that breaks down the 3 types, their applications, functions and fuel sources. 

Pallet Truck Rental Prices

Yale Class III Electric Pallet Jack MPB045VG

Pallet jacks are some of the most commonly rented tools. 

Manual pallet jacks are often rented for short periods of time, rarely longer than a few weeks, so I decided to leave them off of this list. 

However, I will tell you that rates are around $40-90 per day, $100-$160 per week, and $200-$275 per month

  • An electric powered pallet truck with a load capacity of 4,500 lbs. is about $70-$110 day, $175-$275 per week and $450-$750 per month.
  • Renting an electric powered pallet truck with a load capacity between 6,000 and 8,000 lbs. will be $90-$140 day, $240-$325 per week and $700-$900 per month.

Further Reading: Become a Class 3 Forklift expert 

Mobile Elevated Work Platform Rental Prices

JLG ES Series Scissor Lift

Mobile Elevated Work Platforms are most commonly rented by construction sites and outdoor applications. 

Here we will cover a few. That is, man lifts and scissor lifts of varying lift heights. 

  • A man lift costs $125-$175 per day, $300-$400 per week, and $900-$1,000 per month.
  • A Scissor Lift that raises up to 20 feet will cost about $175-$225 per day, $375-$475 per week, and $950-$1,200 per month.
  • A 26 foot Scissor Lift will run you between $220-$320 per day, $400-$550 per week, and $1,200-$1,350 per month.
  • Renting a Scissor Lift that raises up to 32 feet will be about $280-$360 per day, $460-$600 per week, and $1,300-$1,500 per month.

Conclusion

Forklift rentals are great options for the short-term and are important for any lifting, stacking or transport of loads from 2,000 lbs. up to 36,000 lbs.

A Final Note: One cost that we did not include on this list, is freight. 

Freight for travel from the forklift dealer to your application will be a fee that you have to pay for based on distance. It usually costs a flat fee within a predefined area, but any travel beyond will be billed at a per-mile rate. Click Here to learn more about freight charges.

Thus, I suggest looking at local forklift dealers first for equipment, this way you save money on fees and freight. 

Almost all rental deals are used forklifts. Before you sign anything, check out our list of 9 Things to Look for When Buying a Used Forklift. 

View Our Rental Inventory 
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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Megan Alder October 14, 2020

    I love that you made a list of the cost range of renting a forklift, and explained what capabilities each has so we have a better idea. My husband and I are going to build our vacation home, and we are looking for advice to be able to choose the right forklift rental company. We will definitely consider your information, and we´ll start doing deep research in our area and hire the best company in town.

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