About Us

We are a leading Australian family-owned provider of forklifts, elevated work platforms, cleaning equipment, fleet management and telemetry systems.

We are the exclusive dealer for global leading brands, offering a comprehensive range of materials handling, access equipment and cleaning solutions.

10,500
units
nationwide
30
branches &
service centres
150
different
models
Australian family
owned & operated

Our History

Founded by Peter Whiffen & Margret Whiffen in 1979, Adaptalift started as Forklift Engineering Australia. Peter Whiffen, a mechanical engineer by trade, started designing and manufacturing forklift attachments & bespoke lifting solutions. As demand grew for the rental of these attachments to be supplied with forklifts, Adaptalift Forklift Rentals & Sales was born.

Renamed to Adaptalift Group in 2016, the company has grown rapidly to become the largest Australian privately owned and operated forklift company.

Case Studies

31 August 2021

Custom Hyster Reachstackers Safely Handle Oversized Wind Farm Components

23 August 2021

Nutrien Ag Solutions Improves Safety with New Hyster Forklift Fleet

Adaptalift Ground Support Equipment (GSE) offers a full range of high quality ground support equipment to the aviation industry.

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Adaptalift Truck Rentals (ATR) offers a full range of truck and equipment rental solutions.

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Speedshield Technologies provides telemetry and engineering products and solutions to various industries and aftermarket applications including aviation, automotive, industrial, mining, and mobile fleet equipment.

Visit Speedshield

1979

The first of the AAL Group of companies, Adaptalift Hyster is established as Forklift Engineering Australia Pty Ltd, in Melbourne. Working to design and manufacture forklift attachments for the forklift and materials handling insdustry.
More about forklift attachments
1984

Forklift Engineering Australia Pty Ltd began trading as Adapt-A-Lift Rentals and Sales.
1988 - 1998

This decade sees the company experience extraordinary growth and development; branches are established in all Australian states.
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1999

Adapt-A-Lift makes BRW's Top 100 private companies list.
2003

Adapt-A-Lift Imports is formed trading as Combilift Australia, in order to import and distribute niche market materials handling products.
Browse Combilift Products
2005

Speedshield Technologies is acquired to obtain a stable speed control system and to develop online fleet management products.
Visit Speedshield
2009

The acquisition of Hyster Australia sees Adapt-A-Lift Rentals and Sales become Adaptalift Hyster and triple its turnover.
Browse Hyster Forklifts
2011

Speedshield Technologies signs a supply contract with Hyster-Yale as global telemetry provider and establishes a distribution centre in the USA.
Visit Speedshield
2014

Adaptalift GSE enters the Aviation Ground Support Equipment market.
Visit GSE Website
2018

Adaptalift Group is appointed as Yale dealer nationally, and is now an exclusive Karcher dealer. Adaptalift GSE successfully rolled out the Dnata contract.
About Yale Browse Karcher Equipment
2019

Adaptalift Truck Rentals is launched in partnership with Daimler Truck & Bus Australia.
Adaptalift Truck Rentals