Counterbalance lift trucks are essentially forklifts which are engineered with counterweight at the rear of the equipment. The counterweight works to balance the weight which the forks are carrying at the front of the cargo. This design is engineered to stabilize traditional lift trucks. As far as electric counterbalance lift trucks are concerned, the battery itself forms the counterweight.

Counterbalance forklifts could often be found in every manufacturer's product range. They are usually manufactured in a variety of sizes and configurations, using a variety of fuel sources. These forklifts can with pneumatic or solid tires, and be designed with 4 or 3 wheels. They are capable of working in various applications. These types of lift trucks are outfitted with a range of accessories. Common options and attachments consist of: side shifts, hydraulic clamps, slip sheet attachments and fork shifts just to name some items.

The counterbalance lift truck has in fact changed the whole business of material handling. These machines are important to the shipping and receiving centers around the globe as they are used for loading, stacking, unloading and horizontal transport functions. The average warehouse lift trucks are normally used for lift heights less than 6 meters or 20 feet. There have been some recently designed units which could lift to heights 31 feet or 9.5 meters. The smaller 1-1.8 ton or 4000 lbs. forklifts are the main workhorses inside the majority of warehouses. These are the most popular models which the majority of small companies would have. The average warehouse counterbalance forklift is a wide-aisle truck that requires around 3 meters or 11 feet to turn in.

Counterbalance forklifts are not necessarily confined to the warehouse. They are usually used for heavy use and container carrying together with basically every use in between. Counterbalance lift trucks are the most versatile and widely utilized of all materials handling machinery.

Because of their versatility and durability, counterbalance forklifts are commonplace in a large range of working environments, like retail, warehousing and production. Several of the industrial applications consist of: timber, automotive, chemical and food businesses.