by Mark Wilson, on September 26, 2025 at 6:24 AM
In Washington, trees aren’t just part of the scenery—they’re part of the economy.
Since the mid-1850s, our forests have supplied the nation (and the world) with top-quality timber. Today, Washington’s lumber industry ranks as the nation's second-largest supplier of softwoods and supports over 100,000 jobs. No wonder “Timber!” isn’t just the call of the logger. It’s the sound of development.
Yet, even historic industries need modern tools. That’s where CombiLift forklifts come in. Made to handle the long, heavy loads typical of Washington’s lumber yards, these multi-directional forklifts are a game changer.
Read on to learn what makes CombiLift so unique and which models we recommend for your lumber yard.
What’s Special About CombiLift Multi-Directional Forklifts?
Your lumber yard faces material handling challenges that conventional warehouses don’t.
Yet, you still have to tackle many of the same logical puzzles that confront any warehouse. That duality leaves you with a choice: invest in several machines to move one load or find a single forklift that does it all.
CombiLifts do it all, and here’s how.
Four-Way Movement
CombiLift’s secret weapon is four-way movement.
These forklifts are iconic for their ability to move forward, backward, left, and right with equal agility and ease. This heightened mobility makes them exceptionally suited to maneuvering oversized loads, such as a bunk of studs. Likewise, this eliminates the need to travel with dangerous, lifted loads.
Four-way movement is the foundation of CombiLift’s success in the timber industry.
Streamline Operations
As mentioned above, CombiLift lumber yard forklifts do the job of three machines in one.
Each lift truck is a combination of a counterbalance, narrow aisle, and sideloader forklift rolled into a single unit. This eliminates the need for multiple forklifts to move an individual load. Reducing double-handling like this improves productivity and cuts down on maintenance costs.
Your busy lumber yard doesn’t have time to use three forklifts when one will do.
Maximize Storage Space
Maximizing storage space is the never-ending challenge of every warehouse, and lumber yards are no exception.
Yet, with traditional forklifts, long loads demand extra-wide aisles. This wastes space and dramatically reduces your usable square footage. However, CombiLift forklifts don’t require nearly as much aisle space. With their ability to maneuver in narrow aisles, even with long loads, they can double the capacity of many lumber yards.
More usable space means improved efficiency and increased revenue.
Customized for Lumber Yards
CombiLift forklifts are custom-built.
They build your forklift for your facility. Plain and simple. They customize it to your requirements so that each forklift is precisely what you need. No more trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole. No ad hoc adaptations. Only built-to-purpose solutions.
With CombiLift, you never have to settle for just good enough.
The Best Lumber Yard Forklifts From CombiLift
Even within the lumber industry, there is no universal best choice of forklifts.
Consequently, CombiLift offers several models to meet just about every need. Of these, we most commonly recommend the following for lumber yards:
- CombiLift C-Series. The C-Series is your classic, multi-directional CombiLift design and a mainstay of many lumber yards. This range features lifting capacities from 5,500 to 55,000 lbs with options for IC and electric power sources.
- COMBI-SL. The SL is a sideloader with the maneuverability of a multi-directional forklift. It features an extended support platform and dynamic 360-degree steering.
- COMBI-WR4. This pedestrian reach stacker excels in very narrow aisles. With 4,400 lbs of lifting capacity, it handles bulky timber products with ease.
- COMBI-CB. The CB is the original multi-directional counterbalance forklift. In many ways, it is a more compact version of the C-series. It handles oversized wood products and palletized loads with equal efficiency, even in tight spaces.
- COMBI-FSE. The FSE is the big brother to the SL. This multi-directional sideloader has almost twice the capacity of the SL with improved comfort and visibility. Its zero emissions and noise reduction make it ideal for eco-conscious operations.
Whatever your requirements, CombiLift forklifts are excellent choices for handling lumber and timber products.
Choose the Best CombiLift for Your Lumber Yard
CombiLifts offer a host of unique benefits and customization options.
All that choice can make it challenging to narrow down your options. That's where we can help. Our experts are well-versed in the most common needs of the timber industry. We can examine your facility and offer recommendations for the best CombiLift models for your unique requirements. Let us take your lumber yard to a whole new level.
To learn more about CombiLift forklifts or to request a quote, contact us online or visit one of our locations.
Auburn 253-854-5438
Pasco 509-547-7413
Wenatchee 509-663-9009
Yakima 509-457-5137
Further Reading
CombiLift Forklifts Are Masters of Moving Metal
Why CombiLift Forklifts Are Rock Solid for the Concrete Industry
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