Note: If you’re looking to locate your Yale forklift serial number, check out our guide here.  Need Yale forklift parts?  Intella is your source.

Yale forklift serial numbers

Q: How do I decode my Yale forklift serial number?

A: Yale forklift serial numbers consist of four parts, and each part gives information about the lift truck to which the serial number is assigned. These four parts are the design series, the manufacturing plant, the sequence of manufacture, and the year of manufacture of the lift truck. This system of numbering  has been in place since 1995. (If these instructions look familiar, it is because Yale and Hyster forklift serial numbers are interpreted the same way. Another blog post covers the basics of reading Hyster serial and model codes.)

Part 1: This section should be a combination of letters and numbers. This sequence refers to the design series and model of the forklift, according to the table to the right. Click the table for a larger image.

Part 2: This section should be a single letter. It identifies the manufacturing plant, as described below.

•  A = Irvine, Scotland

•  B = Craigavon, Northern Ireland

•  D = Danville, IL, USA

•  E = Nijmegen, The Netherlands

•  F = Flemington, NJ, USA

•  G = government contracts

•  L = Lenoir, NC, USA

•  N = Greenville, NC, USA

•  R = OBU, Japan (OBU-SHI, Aichi-Ken, 474 IT)

•  S = Sulligent Mfg Plant; Sulligent, AL, USA

•  T = Masate, Italy

•  V = Berea, KY, USA

•  W = Schaeff; Sioux City, IA, USA

•  X = Modena, Italy

Part 3: This section should be a number sequence. It indicates the sequence of manufacture at the manufacturing plant of the lift truck. The numbering of production models for each plant begins at 1501.

Part 4: This last section should be a single letter. It indicates the year that the lift was manufactured. 1995 began with letter S, 1996 being T, 1997 being U, and etc. The full alphabet is used, except for I, O, and Q. Below are some recent years for reference.

•  X = 2000              •  D = 2006              •  K = 2012

•  Y = 2001              •  E = 2007               •  L = 2013

•  Z = 2002              •  F = 2008               •  M = 2014

•  A = 2003              •  G = 2009              •  N = 2015

•  B = 2004              •  H = 2010

•  C = 2005              •  J = 2011

Notice that, yes, a letter can refer to multiple years. For example, “S” can refer to either 1995 or 2018. Typically, though, you will be able to tell if your forklift is 20 years old or brand new.

Shortcut on Yale models:  If the model contains the letter C, it will have cushion forklift tires.  if the model contains the letter P, it will have pneumatic forklift tires or pneumatic shaped solid forklift tires.

Yale forklift model numbers

Q: How do I decode my Yale forklift model number?

A: The first step to reading a Yale forklift model number is to understand which models fall under which types of Yale trucks. To the right is a table detailing which models are electric three wheels, electric four wheels, and ICEs. Click the table for a larger image.

Once you know which type of forklift you have, use the following chart to determine what the letters and numbers in your model number mean. Click on the chart to view a larger image. To download a PDF version of this chart, click here: Yale forklift model codes diagram Intella