Forklift axle and wheel load calculator
Laden axle and wheel loads (counterbalance and reach-out): counterbalance truck and reach truck with reach out: QRL = QR - Q x A / Y; QFL = truck_weight + Q - QRL; A = C + X (counterbalance) or C + reach travel - X (reach truck); wheel_load = axle_load / wheels_on_axle. Enter your numbers below; the formula and its source are shown under the result.
For counterbalance trucks. Take every number from the truck's spec sheet (VDI lines shown). Compare the wheel load with the rating of the dock plate, mezzanine or slab from its maker or a structural engineer.
The formulas
counterbalance truck and reach truck with reach out: QRL = QR - Q x A / Y; QFL = truck_weight + Q - QRL; A = C + X (counterbalance) or C + reach travel - X (reach truck); wheel_load = axle_load / wheels_on_axle
Supralift: truck dimensions, service weight and unladen axle loads must come from the truck specification; two load wheels in line (as on a reach truck) count as one axle. Reach-in reach trucks and pallet trucks use a different form (QFL = QF + Q x B / Y) that this calculator does not use.
Worked example: Check against the Linde H16 D datasheet (VDI 2198): Q 1,600 kg, C 500 mm, X 365 mm, Y 1,600 mm, unladen rear axle 1,395 kg, service weight 2,745 kg: A = 865; QRL = 1,395 - 1,600 x 865 / 1,600 = 530 kg; QFL = 2,745 + 1,600 - 530 = 3,815 kg. Linde prints laden axle loads 3,815 / 530 kg.
[src]concentrated load = highest wheel force / tread contact area
Supralift: for industrial trucks the concentrated load is the highest wheel force divided by the tread area; the area depends on the load and the wheel type, and it is only a quasi-concentrated load.
Worked example: n/a
[src]Estimate only. The capacity on the machine's data plate is the legal limit; never exceed it.
Sources
- Axle and Wheel Loadings (Supralift materials handling glossary) (retrieved November 6, 2026)
- Concentrated Load (Supralift materials handling glossary) (retrieved November 6, 2026)