Forklifts Shipping
A pneumatic-tyre forklift such as a Hyster H155FT goes in a 40 ft high cube with the mast off: Hyster prints it at 2.53 m to the overhead guard. Smaller warehouse trucks go in a container whole, several to a box.
Overview
Forklifts in the 5,000 to 15,500 lb class are narrow enough for a container door; the mast is what decides the plan. Hyster prints the H155FT at 3.669 m long to the fork face, 2.082 m wide and 9,531 kg, and 3.74 m high with the standard mast lowered. That is above the 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube, so the mast comes off at its hinge pins, which brings the truck down to 2.53 m at the overhead guard. Yale prints the same figures for the GP155VX, which Hyster-Yale builds alongside it.
Smaller warehouse and cushion-tyre trucks have masts low enough to go through the door with the forks off, and several share a 40 ft high cube, which is 12.03 m long inside. The 20 ft box suits a single small truck.
The forks come off, the mast is tilted back or removed with the hydraulic lines capped, LPG cylinders are removed and batteries disconnected. Electric trucks with lithium batteries are declared to the carrier, which has its own rules for them. Each truck is chocked and lashed through its tie-down points.
Forklifts are bought from warehouses, ports, dealer lots and auctions across the US, and containers sail from Houston, Savannah, Miami and most US ports. Heavy forklifts have their own page. We confirm the plan with photos of your truck and its data plate before booking.
Send the make, model and serial number and say whether the truck is LPG, diesel or electric. Several forklifts can share one container, which lowers the freight per unit. Keep the data plate legible, because the buyer needs it to certify the truck.
Typical Specifications
| Hyster H155FT and Yale GP155VX | 3.669 m long, 2.082 m wide, 9,531 kg |
|---|---|
| Height, standard mast lowered | 3.74 m |
| Height to the overhead guard | 2.53 m |
| Container door, 40 ft high cube | 2.34 m wide, 2.58 m high |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Hyster H155FT, standard mast lowered: 12 ft / 3.67 m long, 6 ft 10 in / 2.08 m wide, 12 ft 3 in / 3.74 m high, 21,000 lb / 9,531 kg.
The ladder below is worked out from these figures. Larger or smaller units of the same type can land on a different rung.
Cheapest first: the shipping cost ladder
We price every machine from the bottom rung up. A machine only moves up a rung when a measurement rules out the cheaper method.
Hyster H155FT, standard mast lowered is 12 ft 3 in / 3.74 m tall, over the 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m container door, so shipping it whole starts on the next rung up.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
When: Fits through a 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m door and under 59,500 lb / 27,000 kg, whole or after we take off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels.
- Rung 2
Flat rack
Mid cost
Best fit for Hyster H155FT, standard mast lowered
When: Too wide or tall for a container door, but within 14 ft 9 in / 4.5 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m tall and 86,000 lb / 39,000 kg on one rack.
- Rung 3
RoRo
Mid cost
When: Drives or tows aboard, under 19 ft 8 in / 6 m tall and 110 US tons / 100,000 kg, going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
- Rung 4
Breakbulk
Highest cost
When: Past flat-rack and roll-trailer limits, or shipped as modules lifted aboard piece by piece.
Container
RecommendedA 40 ft high cube with the mast off for pneumatic-tyre trucks; several smaller trucks share a box.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
A running truck driven aboard whole where a RoRo lane serves the destination.
Flat Rack Container
Trucks with masts or carriages too large for the door.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Handling & Preparation Requirements
- Forks removed
- Mast tilted back or removed at the hinge pins, hydraulic lines capped
- LPG cylinders removed
- Batteries disconnected; lithium batteries declared to the carrier
- Data plate legible
- Chocked and lashed through the tie-down points
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
Auction yards that sell forklifts
Yards whose published equipment categories include forklifts. Each yard page lists its nearest export ports and how we collect from it.
Common Models We Ship
- Hyster H135FT, H155FT
- Yale GP135VX, GP155VX
- Toyota 8-series
- Caterpillar and Mitsubishi pneumatic-tyre trucks
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build forklifts, the ones in our loading records first, with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where forklifts shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on forklifts bookings, and what avoids them.
- Booking a forklift by its mast-lowered height: at 3.74 m the H155FT is above the container door, so the mast comes off and the plan is two pieces.
- An LPG cylinder left on the truck is dangerous goods, and the terminal holds the box until it is removed or declared.
- Lithium batteries shipped undeclared break the carrier's dangerous-goods rules, so electric trucks are declared before booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a forklift fit in a container?
Yes, with the mast off for most pneumatic-tyre trucks. Hyster prints the H155FT at 3.74 m high with the mast lowered, above the 2.58 m door, and 2.53 m at the overhead guard, so it goes in a 40 ft high cube once the mast comes off.
Can several forklifts share one container?
Smaller warehouse and cushion-tyre trucks often can. A 40 ft high cube is 12.03 m long inside, and the survey confirms there is room to lash each truck.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Hyster H155FT: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
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Ready to Ship Your Forklifts?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote forklifts by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.