Are Linde Forklifts Really Worth The Money ?

(Opinion)

The saying goes, there are forklifts, then there are Linde Forklifts.  Linde forklifts are German-designed forklifts with roots going back over 130 years.   Linde is now part of the Kion Group and is a publicly traded company.

As a brand Linde Forklifts entered the Australian Market in the early 1990s.  Since continuing to grow in a tough Australian Market.  Linde forklifts are unique in that they are designed with a Hydrostatic drive.

Basically, this means that Linde integrated the hydrostatic drive, hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor, and gearbox into one compact axle so the forklift has fewer moving parts that will wear out.

The current 392 Series H25T model, costs somewhere in the vicinity of $100 000 AUD (depending on specifications, as of 2023).  The second tier 351 Series H25 costs early $30 000 AUD, you need to ask your self are Linde forklift really worth the money.

It’s worth pointing out here, in the industry bread and butter 1.8T – 3T bread and butter range of forklifts. Linde actually does a cheaper budget 2.5T Forklift, bought under the Baoli brand, which is manufactured in China.

We’ve looked at this quite a few times when it comes to choosing a forklift for your business, there are two main things to consider :

Utilization

How many hours are you doing per week?

Application

What is the environment that it is working in?

Linde Forklift falls into 3 categories.

Baoli

Low utilization – Up to 15 hours per week – Light application

35 Series (also made in China) – up to 30 hours per week, and a medium application

39 series (out of Germany) – in excess of 30 hours per week and a harsh application

So is Linde Forklift really worth the money?  To answer the properly you need to look at the above 2 factors. Linde forklifts do cost a lot more money, but they will still pick up a load and transport it from A to B.

A high-end Linde Forklift does have some unique features, over and above the competition.  However, as an outright purchase, if you are wanting to use a forklift for 10 hours per week in a fruit shop.  You might want to consider saving your money and spending it elsewhere.