A Cab for the Forklift the Factory Forgot

You have a forklift in the yard and a customer waiting for an answer. They need a cab. You have tried your usual suppliers, searched the catalogues, and come back with nothing. The model is too old, too uncommon, or simply one nobody has designed a kit for.

That does not mean the search is over. 

This is exactly the situation that forklift cab kits from BMB Industrial Cabs are built to solve. We have been manufacturing from our Birkenhead facility since 1990. Thirty-plus years of UK production means we hold more than 20,000 cab designs on file. The model sitting on your customer’s floor right now has a reasonable chance of already being in that library.

Why Older and Unusual Models Get Left Behind

The major catalogue suppliers build their ranges around volume. If a model sells in large enough numbers and recently enough, it gets a cab. If it is discontinued, imported in small quantities, or only found in specific industries, it often gets dropped.

That makes commercial sense for high-volume manufacturers. It leaves a plenty of perfectly serviceable forklifts without a straightforward way to add weather protection. A forklift that is ten years old and still doing the job every day deserves the same cab availability as one that rolled off the line last year.

We regularly manufacture cabs for Caterpillar, Mitsubishi, Crown, Cesab, Linde, Jungheinrich, and many other forklift brands. Some are current models while others have been working in UK fleets for decades. If the machine has been operating in Britain over the last 30 years, there is a good chance we already have a design on file.

How to Find Out if Your Model Is Already Covered

Start by sending us the make and model. That’s usually all we need. We check our design library and, in most cases, confirm the answer the same day. If the design is already on file, we’ll send a quote and confirm the lead time. We manufacture in Birkenhead and most standard orders are dispatched within 10 working days. No import wait. No extended lead times. UK made and out of the door fast.

The forklift cab kits we supply cover the full range of protection options, from a PVC canopy for basic weather cover through to a Full Steel Cab for operators working in genuinely exposed or demanding conditions. What you need depends on the machine and the environment it operates in. We can advise on that once we know the model.

Not sure of the exact model? Don’t worry. A model range, approximate year, or even a few photographs are often enough for us to identify the vehicle. If we need more information, we’ll ask. If not, we’ll confirm what’s available and send the next steps.

What Happens When the Model Is Not in the Library

Sometimes a machine is unusual enough that we do not have a template on file. It happens with very early discontinued models, niche imported machines, and some specialist industrial vehicles.

We do not come back with a dead end. We move to our scan-to-fit process instead.

Our engineers visit the customer’s site, scan the vehicle using 3D scanning technology, and produce a CAD design in-house. No drawings required from the customer. No DXF files, no technical specifications to provide. We do the engineering. The customer approves the design before anything is manufactured. Once approved, the cab is built at our Birkenhead facility.

Most scan-to-fit projects take between six and ten weeks, depending on the complexity of the vehicle. That is not a short lead time, but it produces a cab that was built precisely for that vehicle. It fits correctly. It works correctly. And once the design is in our library, the next order for the same model is a standard job.

We have done this for some genuinely unusual machines. Tracked carriers, heavy-lift industrial vehicles, specialist site equipment. If a vehicle can be scanned, we can design a cab to fit it. The Bespoke Cabs page explains the process in full.

Choosing the Right Level of Protection

When a model is confirmed in the model database, you choose the right level of protection for the application.

Full Steel Cabs give the operator complete enclosure. Solid panels, steel frame, door and window seals. Right for operators working in cold stores, outdoor yards through winter, or dusty and debris-heavy environments. The Full Steel Cabs page covers the specifications in detail.

Weather Guard Kits combine steel screens with PVC panels. They offer substantial weather protection without a fully enclosed cab structure. A common choice where operators need shelter from wind and rain but the environment is less extreme.

PVC canopies are the entry-level option. They provide overhead and front protection. Appropriate where weather exposure is moderate and the application does not demand full enclosure.

Accessories including heaters, wiper kits, and wiper motors are available to add to any configuration. If the operator is going to be in the cab for long shifts in cold conditions, a heater is worth specifying.

Start with the Make and Model

The fastest way to get an answer is to send us the make and the model number. If it’s already in our design archive, we’ll confirm the fitment, provide a quote, and tell you the lead time. If it isn’t, we’ll explain the scan-to-fit process and what happens next.

No guesswork. No long waits for an answer. Just a clear recommendation based on your vehicle.

Request a quote or call us on (44) 0151 637 2323. We are here to give you a straight answer on whether we can help, and if we can, how quickly.