Lift Hero is the North American forklift brand of Lonking, a Chinese lift truck and construction equipment manufacturer founded in 1993 that describes itself as the fourth-largest manufacturer in Asia. The brand arrived in the United States positioning itself on price and availability against both the Japanese majors and the other value-tier importers, and unlike many brands in that category it has real inventory on the ground: roughly 131 machines were listed across the major equipment marketplaces at the time of writing. This review covers the model line as it actually stands, where the brand is genuinely competitive, and the questions worth asking before you sign.
Get Free Quotes 👑Lift Hero is not an independent manufacturer. It is the North American brand of Lonking, which builds lift trucks and construction equipment and was founded in 1993. That distinction matters in a buyer favour rather than against it: a brand backed by an established construction equipment manufacturer has engineering depth and production volume behind it, which is exactly what separates a durable value-tier brand from an importer with a nameplate. Lift Hero describes itself as the fastest-growing forklift brand in North America, which is the company claim rather than an independently verified figure, and sells through a dealer network with nationwide delivery across the continental United States.
The range is concentrated in the warehouse classes rather than spread thin. Across live listings the models that appear are the CPD25 at 5,000 lb, the CBD20 at 4,500 lb, the CPD20 at 4,000 lb, the CPD30 at 6,000 lb, the CDD15-E1CB at 3,300 lb, and the CL1325GHY and CL1335GHY at 2,800 lb. The CPD35, LG20BE and CQD20N also appear in dealer inventory, along with the ERT1500 reach truck. Capacities therefore run roughly 2,800 to 6,000 lb on the core line, which is the heart of the American warehouse market.
One model dominates. Among listings sampled, the CPD25 at 5,000 lb accounted for roughly four times as many units as the next most common model. That is not an accident: 5,000 lb is the single most common forklift rating in American warehousing, and it is where a value-tier brand has to compete to be taken seriously. If you are evaluating Lift Hero, you are most likely evaluating the CPD25 against a comparable Toyota, Hyster, Crown, EKKO or Hangcha, and that is the comparison worth doing properly rather than brand against brand in the abstract.
The catalogue extends past counterbalance trucks into stand-up and sit-down reach lifts and into telehandlers, with forklifts offered in lithium-ion, conventional battery and liquid propane. The telehandler presence is notable for a brand this size and reflects the Lonking construction equipment heritage. For a buyer outfitting a mixed operation, that breadth means one supplier relationship can cover warehouse trucks and yard equipment, though as always the practical value of that depends entirely on whether one local dealer carries all of it.
Lift Hero offers lithium-ion alongside conventional flooded battery, which is now table stakes in the value tier but still worth specifying deliberately. Lithium accepts opportunity charging without penalty, which removes the spare battery, the battery room, the watering schedule and the hydrogen ventilation requirement. For a two-shift operation those avoided costs usually close most of the price gap immediately. For a single-shift operation running a few hours a day, the conventional battery option remains the cheaper buy and the lithium advantages go largely unused.
Lift Hero competes on acquisition cost and on availability. Against Toyota, Crown, Raymond or Jungheinrich, the purchase price is substantially lower for comparable capacity and lift height. Against other value-tier importers, the differentiator is the Lonking manufacturing base and the fact that there is genuine inventory in the country rather than a catalogue and a lead time. For an operation adding a second or third truck, or replacing an aging machine where downtime is survivable, that combination is a legitimate value proposition.
Support, as with every value-tier brand, and the caution is specific rather than general. Lift Hero sells through a dealer network that is still growing, which means coverage varies sharply by market. In a region with an established Lift Hero dealer the ownership experience can be good. In a region without one, parts lead times and service response are the real risk, and on a truck you depend on daily that risk costs more than the purchase saving. The brand also does not publish warranty terms on its site, so those have to come from the dealer in writing.
The honest comparison set is EKKO, Hangcha, Heli and Big Joe rather than Toyota. Against EKKO, Lift Hero has a narrower catalogue but a larger manufacturing parent. Against Hangcha and Heli, both of which are very large Chinese manufacturers in their own right, Lift Hero is smaller in North America but has concentrated its inventory where buyers actually shop. Against Big Joe, the trade is price against seventy-five years of American manufacturing and support history. There is no universally correct answer; there is a correct answer for your market and your dealer.
Six questions. What exactly does the warranty cover, for how long, and is it prorated. Who services this machine, how far will they travel, and what is the response commitment. Which parts does the dealer stock locally versus order from the importer, and what is the lead time on a mast, a drive motor or a controller. What is the real lead time on this configuration, with a date. What is the net capacity at my maximum lift height with the attachment I need, from the data plate. And who issues the corrected data plate if an attachment is fitted. Get all six in writing.
This brand makes most sense for an operation buying in the 2,800 to 6,000 lb warehouse range, in a market with an established local dealer, where the purchase saving against a Japanese major is meaningful and brief downtime is survivable. It makes least sense as a single critical truck in a market with no dealer within service range, which is the scenario where value-tier economics reverse. Price the local support as carefully as you price the equipment, and compare the total against a brand with a dealer on your doorstep.
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Lonking, a Chinese lift truck and construction equipment manufacturer founded in 1993 that describes itself as the fourth-largest manufacturer in Asia. Lift Hero is its North American forklift brand, sold through a dealer network with nationwide delivery across the continental United States.
The core line runs roughly 2,800 to 6,000 lb. Models include the CL1325GHY and CL1335GHY at 2,800 lb, the CDD15-E1CB at 3,300 lb, the CPD20 at 4,000 lb, the CBD20 at 4,500 lb, the CPD25 at 5,000 lb and the CPD30 at 6,000 lb.
The CPD25 at 5,000 lb, by a wide margin. In sampled listings it appeared roughly four times as often as the next most common model, which reflects 5,000 lb being the single most common forklift rating in American warehousing.
They are a credible value-tier option backed by a real manufacturer rather than a nameplate importer, with genuine inventory in the country. The deciding factor is your local dealer: parts stock and service response vary sharply by market and matter more than the brand itself.
Yes, in both lithium-ion and conventional battery, alongside liquid propane models. The range also includes stand-up and sit-down reach lifts and telehandlers, reflecting the Lonking construction equipment heritage.
Warranty terms in writing including duration and whether it is prorated, who services the machine and their response commitment, which parts the dealer stocks locally versus orders, the real lead time with a date, and the net capacity at your lift height from the data plate.