4-Wheel CounterbalanceServices / Forklift Hire
Forklift Hire Dublin & Nationwide — from one week to seven years
Short-term rentals, long-term contract hire and lease-to-own on Xilin electric, diesel and LPG forklifts. All maintenance included in the rate — Dublin-based, delivered across Ireland.
Authorised Xilin Dealer
Official MasterMover Distributor
40+ Years Experience
4-Hour Response Time
Forklift hire in Ireland
Hire the right truck, on the right terms — without tying up capital
AWE Forklifts has been hiring materials handling equipment to Irish businesses for over 40 years. Whether you need a single reach truck for a two-week stocktake in Blanchardstown, six counterbalance electrics for a new distribution centre in Naas, or a 7-year contract-hire fleet across three sites, we spec the right equipment, deliver it PDI-checked and LOLER-certified, and back it with a priority breakdown response and a named account manager. All routine servicing, statutory inspection and preventative maintenance is included in the hire rate — you get one predictable monthly cost and one Irish phone number.
Why hire from AWE
Hire with confidence — backed by 40 years in Irish materials handling
Flexible hire periods
Daily, weekly, monthly or multi-year — only pay for the time you actually need the truck on site.
Full range in stock
Xilin electric, diesel and LPG counterbalance, reach trucks, pallet trucks, powered pallet stackers and used trucks — 1t to 7t.
All maintenance included
PM visits, LOLER, routine servicing and priority breakdown response — built into the hire rate, not a bolt-on.
Nationwide delivery
Dispatched from Dublin to all 32 counties — short-term units dispatched as soon as the unit is prepped.
How it works
Hire a forklift in four simple steps
01
Tell us your requirements
A 5-minute call — load weight, lift height, indoor/outdoor use, aisle width, shift pattern and how long you need it.
02
We spec the right forklift
Our specialists match you to the right Xilin, MasterMover or used truck. No upsell — we recommend the smallest truck that will do the job.
03
Fast delivery, commissioned
Delivered on our own transport, PDI-checked, LOLER-certified and demoed to your team — anywhere in Ireland, with the delivery date confirmed on your quote.
04
Backed by priority support
One phone number for servicing, parts and breakdowns. Contract customers get a priority engineer response.
Hire options
Choose the hire that fits your operation
From a single day to a multi-year contract — we structure hire around your workload, not the other way round.
Short-term hire
One day to a few months. Cover staff absences, peak workload, contract work or a temporary breakdown — no long commitment.
Long-term & contract hire
1–7 year contracts. Fixed monthly cost, full maintenance included, zero capital outlay — the simplest way to run a reliable fleet.
Seasonal & peak hire
Extra trucks for Christmas, harvest, stocktakes or campaign weeks — booked in advance to guarantee availability during Irish peak seasons.
| Short-term | Long-term | Contract hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical term | 1 day – 6 months | 1–3 years | multi-year |
| Maintenance included | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LOLER / Thorough Exam | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Priority breakdown response | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Fixed monthly cost | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Peaks & cover | Growing fleets | Multi-site ops |
Truck types available for hire
Electric, diesel, LPG — 1 tonne to 7 tonnes
Ireland's most modern Xilin hire fleet, backed by refurbished used stock for cost-sensitive projects.
Electric counterbalance
1.5t – 3.5t, lithium options
Diesel & LPG counterbalance
Outdoor, yard, heavy load
Reach trucks
Narrow aisle, high-rack storage
Powered pallet stackers
Low-level racking, order picking
Order pickers & VNA
High-density warehousing
Refurbished used trucks
Fully guaranteed, cost-effective
What's included
Everything in the rate — no bolt-ons
Ten things that come as standard on every AWE hire contract.
- All routine preventative maintenance
- Statutory Thorough Examinations (LOLER)
- Priority breakdown response (contract cover)
- PDI check and safety commissioning
- Delivery to your Irish site
- Operator familiarisation on handover
- Genuine OEM replacement parts
- Tyre replacement at wear limit
- Battery health checks on electric units
- Route-swap on multi-truck contracts
Why AWE
The service partner Irish operators trust.
Ireland-wide coverage
Engineers and mobile service vans dispatched from Dublin across all 32 counties.
Factory-trained technicians
Manufacturer-certified on Xilin and MasterMover — no guesswork, no overseas call centres.
priority response for contract customers
Contract customers get an engineer on the road within four hours of a breakdown call.
40+ years, genuine parts
Four decades on Irish sites and OEM-only parts — protects warranty, safety and resale value.
Proof
Why Irish operators hire from AWE
- Authorised Xilin dealerIreland's authorised dealer for the Xilin range — new trucks, genuine parts and factory documentation.
- Official MasterMover distributorSole Irish distributor for MasterMover electric tugs, including the 316 stainless range.
- Dublin workshop and engineersOwn premises in Rathcoole with directly employed, factory-trained engineers — no call centres.
- Everything quoted in writingNo published rate cards. You get a written quote against your actual requirement, normally within one working day.
32
Counties covered
40+
Years hiring in IE
All
Maintenance included
What it costs
What your hire rate actually depends on
We don't publish a rate card, because a published rate is wrong for almost every job. These are the seven things that move the number up or down — tell us where you sit on each and you'll have a fixed written quote within one working day.
Capacity and mast
A 1.5 t pedestrian stacker and a 3.5 t triplex counterbalance are different machines with different rates. Free-lift and container-spec masts add cost.
Power source
Electric, lithium, diesel and LPG all price differently, and lithium carries a higher rate but removes battery changing and charge-room space.
Length of hire
The single biggest lever. A weekly spot rate and a three-year contract-hire rate are not comparable — the longer the commitment, the lower the cost per week.
Hours per week
A truck on single-shift light duty and one running double shifts wear at very different rates, so contract hire is priced on expected annual hours.
Attachments and specials
Clamps, rotators, fork extensions, jibs, cabs, cold-store protection and non-standard tyres are all specified and priced individually.
Delivery distance
Transport is quoted from our Rathcoole depot by distance and access. Multi-truck deliveries share transport where they travel together.
What's bundled in
Our rates include routine maintenance and statutory Thorough Examination. Compare like with like — a cheaper headline rate elsewhere often excludes both.
Included in the rate
- All routine preventative maintenance and servicing
- Statutory Thorough Examination while the truck is on hire
- PDI check, safety commissioning and handover familiarisation
- Genuine OEM parts and labour on wear items
- Breakdown response under contract cover
Quoted separately, always in writing
- +Delivery and collection, priced by distance and access
- +Fuel, gas or charging costs on site
- +Attachments, non-standard masts and special tyres
- +Operator hire, if you need a driver as well as a truck
- +Damage outside fair wear and tear, or damage waiver cover
- +Out-of-hours and weekend delivery or collection
Every quote is itemised so you can see exactly what each line covers. Nothing is added after the fact without your sign-off.
Hire fleet
What's typically available from the Dublin depot
Availability changes weekly — call the hire desk to confirm a specific truck for your dates.
Electric counterbalance 1.5–3.5 t
Xilin AC and lithium counterbalance trucks for indoor and mixed-use work — the most requested hire category in Ireland.
Confirmed at quote
Diesel & LPG counterbalance
Yard, port and construction duty on rough ground, where charging windows or surfaces rule out electric.
Usually 2–5 days
Reach trucks & order pickers
Narrow-aisle racking work to 8 m and above, including seasonal cover for stocktakes and peaks.
Book ahead in peak
Pallet trucks & stackers
Pedestrian, platform and rider powered pallet trucks plus stackers for low-level racking.
Usually next day
Request a quote
Tell us what you need
Send us the loads, the aisles and the hours and we'll come back with a fixed monthly figure — usually within one working day.
Straight through to our Dublin office — no call centres, no menus.
FAQ
Forklift hire — common questions
Hire rates depend on truck type, hire length, application and whether maintenance is included. A 1.5-tonne electric counterbalance on a 3-year contract-hire agreement typically works out significantly cheaper per week than an equivalent short-term rental, because the cost is spread and utilisation is guaranteed. Send us the loads, aisles and hours per week and we'll come back with a fixed quote within one working day.
Keep exploring
Related services
What forklift hire costs
How daily, weekly, monthly and contract hire rates are built — and where hiring beats buying.
Learn moreServicing & Maintenance
All-makes servicing, Priority breakdown response, genuine parts on the van.
Learn moreOperator Training
Get your team certified before delivery — RTITB-style courses on your site.
Learn moreSafety Inspections
LOLER, PUWER and Thorough Examinations by certified examiners.
Learn moreSuggested equipment
Trucks we hire most often
A cross-section of the Xilin fleet we put on hire in Ireland. Every hire is quoted in writing against your actual duty cycle — capacity, hours, site and term.
Not seeing your application? We hire across the full Xilin range plus MasterMover electric tugs. Tell us the load, the surface and the shift pattern and we'll spec it.
Free downloads
Take the practical bits away with you
Print-ready sheets our engineers use with Irish customers. Leave an email and the download opens straight away.
Daily forklift pre-use safety checklist (PDF)
One printable page per truck, per shift — tyres, forks, mast, brakes, seat belt. Written around S.I. 299/2007 duties for Irish sites.
Hire vs buy decision sheet (PDF)
Six questions that decide it, plus what actually moves the cost on hire, new, used and finance. No invented rates.
Knowledge Hub
Read before you decide
How Much Does a Forklift Cost in Ireland? New, Used and Hire Compared
The purchase price is the smallest part of the decision. Here is how new, used, hire and contract hire compare once servicing, inspection, tyres and downtime are counted.
9 min readNew vs Used Forklifts: When Refurbished Is the Smarter Buy
A well-documented ex-hire truck can do the same job for far less. The risk is not age, it is unknown history — here is what to check and when to pay for new.
7 min readElectric vs Diesel vs LPG Forklifts: Which Suits an Irish Site?
Electric has won indoors and is now winning outdoors too — but diesel still has a job in muddy yards. Here is how the three power sources compare on cost, emissions and practicality in Ireland.
9 min readReady to hire?
Tell us what you're moving and we'll spec the right truck — with a confirmed delivery date on your quote.