Forklift business in fourth decade of service

PEORIA, Ill. — The Unzicker family’s move into the forklift business four decades ago began by happenstance.

Mike Unzicker had a repair shop and sold used tractors when a farmer, who stopped to purchase a tractor, noticed a forklift sitting in the shop.

“A farmer came by to buy a tractor and he needed to buy a forklift, as well. Then the next guy came in and wanted to buy another forklift. It just kind of started from there and snowballed to where we are today,” said Mike’s son, Chad, Unzicker Equipment operations manager.

Family-owned Unzicker Equipment has been providing the Midwest with new and used forklifts and other services since it opened in 1986 by owners Mike Unzicker and his wife, Christy.

“Attention to detail is probably something that’s been very important for us just to make sure we’ve got good equipment for our customers,” said Chad Unzicker at the company’s Greater Peoria Farm Show booth.

“We buy, sell, repair and rent used forklifts as our specialty. If you own one and need work done, you can bring it to us. If you’re looking to purchase one, we can work with you on that. If you want to rent one, we also do that. If you need parts for it and you want to work on it yourself, we you supply parts, as well. We work on most makes and models. We can get parts for most of them out there, as well.”

In addition to forklifts, Unzicker Equipment also offers specialized transportation, including a wide range of equipment-hauling trailers from removable gooseneck to hydraulic.

The firm can also haul oversized and wide loads such as farm or construction equipment, as well as tanker trailers for hauling any non-hazardous liquids.

“If you need your forklift hauled to us, we can do that. We can also come work on it at your farm or your shop. We have a mobile service available,” Unzicker said.

Demand Growth

Bulk seed and chemical containers have become the norm over the decades since the family first started the business, increasing the demand for on-farm forklifts.

“A majority of farmers are using pro boxes for handling seed or mini-bulks of chemicals, pallets of seed, pallets of chemicals. If you’re moving farm equipment around, if you need to work on farm equipment, even if you just need to go up and change a lightbulb in your shed, you could use a forklift for that, as well. There’s a lot of uses for them,” Unzicker said.

“Whether you’re a farmer, a seed dealer, an ag retailer, there’s been a strong demand for a long time now. People want something that’s reliable and they can go out in the shed, start it, it works and runs and starts and stops, and not have any issues with it.

“We’re family owned and operated, have a good reputation and strive to keep our customers happy and coming back.”