Blog post — Equipment Remarketing LLC | July 24, 2026

4,500 lbs or 5,500 lbs? Choosing the Right Moffett or Princeton Model for Your Routes

One of the most common calls we get isn't "do you have a Moffett in stock" — it's "which one do I actually need." With Moffett and Princeton both offering several model lines, plus Loadmac now in the mix, it's easy to either overpay for capacity and features you'll never use, or underbuy and find out three weeks into a job that your forklift can't reach across the bed or squeeze through the opening you need it to.

Here's how to think through it before you buy.

Start With Capacity

Model numbers on these machines aren't marketing — they tell you the rated lift capacity directly. Here's how the common models stack up:

The Moffett M45/M4500 is the odd one out at 4,500 lbs — purpose-built for urban and lighter-duty delivery where maneuverability in tight spaces matters more than raw capacity. Everything else in regular circulation — the Moffett M55/M5500/M8 55.3, Princeton PB55.3, and both Loadmac models — clusters around 5,500 lbs, which is why that capacity has become the de facto standard for lumberyards, sod farms, and general building-material delivery. The Princeton PB55.4 4-Way is rated slightly lower at 5,000 lbs, which is worth knowing if you're comparing it directly against a Moffett M8 55.4 NX for a job that needs the full 5,500.

Capacity is the easy part, though. The harder decision is which features actually pay off for how you run your routes.

Then Match Features to How You Actually Deliver

A few things worth calling out on that decision path:

Double reach isn't a nice-to-have if you deliver in tight urban lots. The Princeton PB55.3X+ and the Loadmac 855 both offer a pantograph "double reach" that lets the operator unload from one side of the truck without turning it around — on the Loadmac 855 it's standard rather than a rare, hard-to-find option on other brands. If your routes regularly put you in spots where you can't easily reposition a 24-foot flatbed, this feature alone can save real time on every stop.

4-way steering solves a specific, narrow problem — don't pay for it if you don't have that problem. The Moffett M8 55.4 NX and Princeton PB55.4 add full side-to-side travel, which matters when you're regularly threading long material — pipe, lumber, roofing stock — through an overhead door or between obstacles in a cluttered yard. If your deliveries mostly land on open ground, a standard 2-way unit at the same capacity will save you money with no real downside.

The 5,500 lb workhorse tier is workhorse for a reason. If you're not sure which category you fall into, the Moffett M55/M5500/M8 55.3 and Princeton PB55.3 are the safest default — they cover the widest range of delivery scenarios and hold their value well because demand for them is constant.

Don't Guess — Ask Before You Buy

Getting this wrong in either direction is expensive: overbuying ties up capital in features you don't use, and underbuying means a forklift that can't keep pace with your routes, forcing a second purchase within a year or two. The right call almost always comes down to specifics — your typical load weight, how tight your delivery sites are, and whether you're regularly moving long material through restricted openings.

We spec these units for buyers every day, and we stock Moffett, Princeton, and Loadmac models across this entire range — plus the Freightliner (and other brand) trucks and trailers to carry them, already refurbished and ready to work.

Call us at (888) 708-3980 and walk us through your routes — we'll tell you straight which model actually fits, not just which one we have the most of. Or browse current inventory at 99lifts.com. We're located at 14007 Bull Rapids Rd, Grabill, IN, just north of Fort Wayne, and we ship nationwide.

Sources: Equipment Remarketing LLC — 99lifts.com, Equipment Remarketing Blog