2025 Short Wheelbase Forklift Purchase Guide:
An Efficient Choice for Indoor Operations

Among the many types of forklifts, short wheelbase forklifts are favored in specific operation scenarios due to their unique advantages.
If you are considering introducing suitable forklift equipment for your company, in-depth knowledge of short wheelbase forklifts will undoubtedly help you make better decisions.

 
First, let's first understand what a short wheelbase forklift is?

A short wheelbase forklift refers to a type of forklift that improves operational flexibility and passability by shortening the wheelbase (Wheelbase, the horizontal distance between the center of the front and rear wheels) between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle body.
Its core design goal is to achieve efficient operation in narrow spaces, especially for scenes where traditional forklifts are difficult to operate, such as warehouses, workshops, and containers.

What are the advantages and characteristics of short wheelbase forklifts?

Ultra-small turning radius, flexible and maneuverable

After the wheelbase is shortened, the turning radius of the forklift is significantly reduced (usually 30%~50% smaller than that of a standard forklift), and it can complete a 180-degree turn in narrow aisles, between shelves or in railway carriages to avoid collisions with obstacles.

Typical scenarios: narrow aisles in warehouses (aisle width ≤3 meters), material handling beside factory production lines, loading and unloading in containers, etc.

Compact body, strong passability

The vehicle is shorter in length and can easily pass through low door frames, corners or crowded work areas, reducing space occupancy.

Compared with standard forklifts: Under the same load, the length of short-wheelbase models may be shortened by 0.5~1 meter, which is suitable for indoor environments with limited space.

Load capacity adapts to scene requirements

The rated load of mainstream short-wheelbase forklifts is usually 1~3 tons, and some heavy-duty models can reach 5 tons, meeting the needs of light and medium-sized cargo handling (such as pallets, packaging boxes, small equipment, etc.).

Note: Load and wheelbase are not absolutely negatively correlated. Some models can maintain high load capacity under short wheelbase through structural optimization (such as reinforced frame).

Diversified power types

Electric type: powered by lithium battery or lead-acid battery, no exhaust emission, suitable for indoor environment, low noise.

Diesel/gasoline type: powerful, suitable for outdoor or heavy-load scenarios.

In what scenarios can short-wheelbase forklifts be used?

Short-wheelbase forklifts play a key role in many fields with their flexible and compact characteristics.

In warehousing and logistics scenarios, it can directly drive into the aisles of high-rise shelf warehouses, efficiently complete cargo storage and retrieval, avoid the waste of additional shunting space, and significantly improve warehousing operation efficiency.

In the factory workshop, it can freely shuttle between machine tools and production lines, accurately transport parts and semi-finished products, and meet the needs of intensive production layout.

In railways and ports, it can go deep into containers and train carriages for loading and unloading operations, overcoming the problem that traditional forklifts are too long to go deep; in the supermarket and retail industries, short-wheelbase forklifts can quickly move goods in narrow passages such as supermarket warehouses and convenience store back warehouses, effectively reducing the cost of manual handling, and becoming a powerful equipment for improving the operating efficiency and economic benefits of various industries.

What is the difference between short-wheelbase forklifts and other models?

If you need to carry 1.5~3 tons of goods, and the working space is a medium-narrow passage (such as an ordinary warehouse lane), and you want to take into account a certain lifting height and stability, then you can choose a short-wheelbase electric forklift.

If you only need to carry ≤2 tons of light goods, and need to work in an extremely narrow space (such as an aisle with a width of less than 2.5 meters) (such as dense warehousing, transportation in a small elevator). Then you can choose a three-point electric forklift.

What factors should be considered
when purchasing a short-wheelbase forklift?

 

The first thing to consider is the size of the operating space. It is necessary to measure the width of the channel and the size of the door opening to ensure that the minimum turning radius of the forklift matches the body length. Because the advantage of short-wheelbase forklifts is the smaller turning radius, if you have enough operating space, you can choose an ordinary forklift to avoid increased procurement costs and waste.

The second thing to consider is the load and lifting height. You can choose a model with the corresponding tonnage and lifting height according to the weight of the goods and the number of shelf layers (such as lifting height ≥ 6 meters, stability needs to be considered).

Finally, the power type should be considered. If it is indoors, electric is preferred, so as to avoid exhaust gas pollution of indoor air, and the noise is low, which will not cause noise pollution to operators and others. Diesel, gasoline, and LPG can be used as power for outdoor or long-term operations. The purchase cost is relatively low and continuous operation can be carried out.