Are aftermarket forklift parts safe?

Quality aftermarket parts from an established supplier are manufactured to the same specifications as the original and are safe for the great majority of applications — filters, seals, brakes, hoses, tires, chain and electrical components. The exceptions are structural, load-bearing components such as mast weldments, carriage assemblies, overhead guards and forks, where we recommend OEM.

Will using aftermarket parts void my forklift warranty?

In the United States, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act generally prevents a manufacturer from voiding a warranty simply because an aftermarket part was used; they must show the part caused the failure. That said, if your machine is inside its warranty period and the failure is covered, the practical advice is to use the dealer and avoid the argument entirely. Check your specific warranty terms.

How much cheaper are aftermarket parts than OEM?

It varies widely by part and brand, and any single percentage figure would be misleading. The pattern we see is that the gap is widest on high-volume consumables and commodity components, and narrowest on complex assemblies. The savings that matter most are on parts you buy repeatedly, because they recur every year.

Which forklift parts should I always buy OEM?

Anything under active warranty; structural and load-bearing components (mast weldments, carriage assemblies, overhead guards, forks); control modules requiring dealer programming; and truly single-source components nobody else manufactures.

How do I know if an aftermarket part will fit my machine?

Supply the make, model and serial number, and have your supplier cross-reference against the OEM part number. The serial number is the critical piece — manufacturers change component suppliers mid-production run, so the model number alone can produce the wrong part.

Buying guide

Aftermarket vs. OEM forklift parts — a part-by-part framework

Including the components we recommend you buy from the dealer instead of from us, and why we would rather tell you now.

Herb Grady Company June 23, 2026 11 min read

"Aftermarket or OEM" is framed as a loyalty test — as if buying aftermarket means cutting corners and buying OEM means doing it right. It is actually a component-by-component decision, and the correct answer changes depending on what broke. Here is the framework we use at the counter, including the parts where we tell customers to buy OEM even though we would make more money selling them ours.

What the words actually mean

OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts are sold under the equipment maker's brand — a Toyota-boxed water pump for a Toyota forklift. The OEM usually did not manufacture it. Forklift builders buy alternators, seals, bearings, filters and hydraulic components from specialist manufacturers, then package them under their own label.

Aftermarket parts are manufactured by companies other than the equipment brand. Quality ranges enormously — from parts built on the same production line as the OEM item, to parts that merely resemble it.

"Aftermarket" is not a quality tier. It is a supply channel. A premium aftermarket seal kit and a bargain-bin seal kit share a category label and nothing else.

The useful question is never "is aftermarket good enough?" It is "is this aftermarket part, from this supplier, right for this application?"

The decision framework

We sort every part into one of three buckets.

Bucket 1 — Buy aftermarket without hesitation

High-wear, standardized, frequently replaced components where specifications are well established and failure is gradual and visible:

Filters — air, oil, fuel, hydraulic
Hydraulic seal kits and O-rings
Hydraulic hose and fittings
Brake shoes, linings, wheel cylinders and drums
Belts, hoses, thermostats and water pumps
Tires — cushion, pneumatic and press-on poly
Leaf chain, mast rollers and bearings
Squeegee blades, brushes, brooms and vacuum motors
Pallet jack load wheels, steer wheels and pump seal kits
Golf cart solenoids, brake shoes, cables and belts
Lights, mirrors, horns, seats, seat belts and switches

These are the majority of parts you will ever buy, and they are where the savings compound. A facility running six scrubbers replaces squeegee blades on a schedule forever. Paying dealer prices for a rubber extrusion is a recurring, avoidable cost.

Bucket 2 — Judgment call: it depends on the machine and the supplier

Starters, alternators and ignition components — excellent aftermarket options exist; cheap ones fail early
Complete hydraulic cylinders and pumps — quality varies more than any other category
Transmission and drive axle internals — fine on common platforms, risky on unusual ones
Carburetors and LPG regulators — good aftermarket units are good; the low end is not
Radiators — construction and core count matter more than the label
Traction batteries — capacity claims deserve scrutiny; buy on published amp-hour ratings, not price

For bucket 2, the supplier matters more than the channel. This is where "who do you buy from" beats "OEM or aftermarket" as a question.

Bucket 3 — Buy OEM

Anything under warranty. Do not hand the dealer a reason to deny a claim.
Structural and load-bearing components. Mast weldments, carriage assemblies, overhead guards, fork structural members. Forks in particular are a regulated safety item — replace them per the manufacturer's spec and inspect them on schedule.
Dealer-programmed electronics. Modern control modules that require proprietary software to configure.
Truly single-source components. Sometimes nobody else ever made it.

The cost math people get wrong

Two errors, in opposite directions.

Error one: optimizing for part price alone. The real cost of a repair is part + labor + downtime. A part that costs 30% less and fails in eight months has cost you a second labor charge and a second outage. On a machine that is central to your operation, that arithmetic goes negative fast.

Error two: assuming OEM pricing buys OEM engineering. On commodity components it frequently buys packaging. The same bearing manufacturer supplies the OEM and the aftermarket; one box has a logo on it. Paying a premium for the logo on a wheel bearing is not risk management, it is branding.

A worked example

A lift cylinder on a mid-size IC forklift is drifting. Options:

OEM complete cylinder: highest cost, guaranteed fit, longest typical lead time.
Quality aftermarket seal kit: lowest cost, requires teardown labor you were doing anyway, and if the bore and rod are in good condition it will last as long as the original seals did.
Bargain complete cylinder from a marketplace listing: middle cost, unknown provenance, holding a load over people's feet.

Nine times out of ten the seal kit is correct — provided somebody inspects the rod and bore first. That inspection step is the part a good supplier reminds you about and a search box does not.

How to buy aftermarket well

Give the serial number, always. Manufacturers change component suppliers mid-production. Two identical-looking trucks can take different seal sizes.
Ask what the part is cross-referenced to. A real supplier can tell you the OEM number their part supersedes.
Buy wear items in matched pairs. Chain, brake shoes, load wheels, steer wheels. Mixing new and worn causes uneven loading and premature failure.
Match the material to the environment. Poly, nylon or rubber wheels; gum, linatex or urethane squeegee rubber. Wrong compound looks like a bad part but is a bad specification.
Buy from someone who will say no. A supplier who has never told you to go to the dealer is not looking out for you.

Our position, plainly

We sell aftermarket parts for a living and we still send customers to the dealer several times a month. Not out of nobility — because a customer who was told the truth in 2019 is still calling us in 2026. That is the entire business model of a fourth-generation family company.

For the parts you replace over and over, quality aftermarket from a supplier who cross-references properly is the right call, and the savings are substantial and permanent. For warranty work, structural safety components and dealer-programmed electronics, buy OEM. Everything else is a conversation — and we are happy to have it before you spend the money.