Yale Forklift Tires: Sizes by Model & Fitment…

If Hyster earned its name in the lumber yard, Yale earned its keep in the warehouse. Walk a distribution center anywhere in America and the odds are good that somewhere between the racking you'll find a Yale — a sit-down rider working the dock, a reach truck deep in the narrow aisles, or a walkie pallet truck shuttling between staging lanes. Yale builds one of the broadest warehouse-truck lines in the business, and that breadth shows up in its tires: everything from big press-on cushions and pneumatics down to palm-sized polyurethane load wheels.

This guide covers Yale forklift tires end to end: how to decode your Yale model number (it tells you the tire type and capacity before you ever crawl under the truck), current-generation tire sizes straight from Yale's own published spec sheets, reference tables for the legacy fleet, the walkie and narrow-aisle side of the family that most tire guides skip entirely, and exactly how to confirm your size and order the right tires the first time.

Yale & Hyster: Two Badges, Shared Specs

Yale is one of the two powerhouse lift-truck brands of Hyster-Yale, Inc. (NYSE: HY), alongside sibling brand Hyster. The two badges are engineered under one roof — and while the company doesn't publish a parts-interchange chart, the tire specs speak for themselves: matching capacity classes from the two brands publish identical standard tire sizes in their own spec sheets, model for model. If you run a mixed Hyster/Yale fleet, that's worth knowing before you order — and it's why this guide pairs with our Hyster forklift tires guide.

Pairs above reflect the standard tires published in each brand's own spec sheets and technical guides. Sizes are commonly used on certain Yale and Hyster models in these configurations — verify exact tire size and fitment before ordering.

Decode Your Yale Model Number

A Yale model number is a compressed spec sheet. Take the GLP050VX — one of the most-searched Yale models on the road today. Read it left to right: the leading letters give the power source, the letter just before the digits gives the tire type, the digits give the capacity, and the suffix gives the series generation. You'll also hear the VX line called the Veracitor — same trucks.

Why the generation suffix matters for tires: the same capacity number can carry different tires in different eras. An ERC050RA from the legacy fleet commonly ran an 18x8x12-1/8 drive and 16x5x10-1/2 steer, while the current ERC050VG runs a 21x7x15 drive and 16x5x10-1/2 steer per Yale's own spec sheet — same 5,000-lb badge, different drive tires. Always match your generation suffix, then confirm the size on the truck itself before ordering. If the plate is hard to read, our guide on how to read a forklift data plate walks through it.

Cushion or Pneumatic? The Last Letter Tells You

Every Yale rides on one of two wheel systems, and they are not interchangeable:

• Press-on (cushion) wheels — the GC, GLC and ERC families. Solid rubber bands hydraulically pressed onto a flat wheel band, built for smooth indoor concrete. If your model has a C before the digits, you're shopping cushion forklift tires and sets — smooth, traction, and non-marking compounds.
• Pneumatic-type wheels — the GP, GLP, GDP and ERP families. Deeper-profile tires on multi-piece wheels that work outdoors, on docks, and on rough surfaces. A P before the digits means you're shopping pneumatic forklift tires — air-filled (with inner tube and flap) or solid pneumatic-shaped tires in the same designation sizes.

Current Yale Models: Factory-Spec Tire Sizes

These are the standard tire sizes Yale publishes in its own spec sheets for the current VX and VG series — the strongest fitment data available anywhere. Sizes are drive first, steer second. Option packages (solid, non-marking, radial, dual drive, wide-tread) can change sizes, so verify against your truck.

Sizes above reflect the standard tires listed in Yale's published spec sheets for the GC-VX, ERC-VG and GP-VX series. These tires are commonly used on certain Yale models in these configurations — verify exact tire size and fitment before ordering.

*Yale's North American GP-VX spec sheet is published under the GP designation; the LP-gas GLP and diesel GDP versions of the same trucks are commonly listed with the same sizes in industry references, and hub reference charts agree — but confirm on your data plate, and note that some older industry charts show a smaller 6.50x10 / 5.00x8 pairing under similar model names, likely a solid-option configuration. When in doubt, the tire on the truck wins.

Legacy & Other Yale Cushion Models (GC, GLC & ERC): Common Sizes

Yale cushion trucks go back generations, and plenty of the older fleet is still working. The sizes below are drawn from industry reference data (per Atlas reference) for the models we're asked about most — including the larger GC080/GC100 class, whose sizes we list from reference data rather than a first-party spec sheet. Generations matter here — check your suffix, then check your tires.

These tires are commonly used on certain Yale models in these configurations — verify exact tire size and fitment before ordering.

Two notes on this table. First, generation splits are real: GC060-class trucks from the TE era commonly ran a 22x8x15 drive, while the current GC060VX runs 21x8x15 per Yale's spec sheet — same badge number, different tire. Second, running a 10,000-lb GC100? The 22x12x16 + 18x8x12-1/8 set covers both axles in one order — and 4+ tires triggers the automatic 15% discount.

Yale Pneumatic Models (GP & GLP): Common Sizes

Yale's smaller pneumatic trucks follow the classic inch-designation ladder. Per Atlas reference data, the models below are the ones we see most:

These tires are commonly used on certain Yale models in these configurations — verify exact tire size and fitment before ordering.

Bigger Yale pneumatics — 6,000 lb and up. Above the 5,000-lb class, Yale's pneumatic line moves into wide-base sizes: 28x9-15, 8.25x15 and 300-15, with 6.50x10 and 7.00x12 steers. For reference, sibling Hyster H60FT–H70FT models publish a 28x9-15 drive and 6.50x10 steer in Hyster's technical guides, and equivalent-capacity Yale trucks commonly run the same class of sizes. We hold back model-by-model tables for this range until we can verify each pairing — so for a GLP060/070, GP/GLP/GDP080–110 or similar, call 1 (866) 313-2180 or send your data-plate photo to sales@forklifttire.com and we'll confirm the exact fitment against your truck before you order.

Yale's Warehouse Side: Reach Trucks, Walkies & Load Wheels

Here's where Yale is different from most makes — and where most tire guides go quiet. A huge share of the working Yale fleet isn't sit-down counterbalance trucks at all: it's narrow-aisle reach trucks (NR), order selectors (OS), stand-ups (ESC) and walkie pallet trucks (MPB, MPW and friends). These trucks don't take "forklift tires" in the usual sense. They run small press-on drive tires — sizes like 13-1/2x5-1/2x8, 10x5x6-1/2 and 9x5x5 — paired with polyurethane load wheels and tandem wheels under the forks.

Searching for "Yale forklift wheels"? This is usually what you actually need. We stock Yale-pattern load wheels ready to ship with pressed-in bearings, including the 4x2-3/4 load wheel (Yale 3006166) with bearing and the 3-1/4x4-1/2 load wheel (Yale 2046054) with bearing — plus the full range of forklift load wheels for other part numbers. Walkie and reach-truck fitments vary widely by model and mast, so for drive tires on an NR, OS or MP-family truck, the fastest reliable route is a data-plate photo to sales@forklifttire.com or a call to 1 (866) 313-2180 — we'll match the exact wheel or tire, including sizes the website doesn't list.

How to Confirm Your Exact Yale Tire Size

Model tables get you close; the truck itself gets you exact. Three steps:

• Read the data plate. It lists the tire sizes for drive and steer positions plus the truck's real capacity rating — and keeping that plate legible is part of a compliant truck under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178. Here's how to read a forklift data plate field by field.
• Match the generation. An ERC050RA and an ERC050VG are different trucks with different tires. The suffix is not decoration.
• Read the sidewall on the truck now. The size molded into your current tire is the final word — previous owners sometimes changed wheel configurations, and option packages changed sizes from the factory.

One safety note: OSHA’s powered-industrial-truck rule requires trucks in unsafe condition to be taken out of service until restored (29 CFR 1910.178(p)(1)), requires repairs to be made by authorized personnel ((q)(1)), and requires trucks to be examined before being placed in service, at least daily ((q)(7)). Badly worn or damaged tires can make a truck unsafe to operate — that’s an out-of-service question, not a cosmetic one. Here are the top 5 signs it’s time to replace your forklift tires. Tire work on multi-piece pneumatic wheels belongs with qualified service personnel.

What to Verify Before You Order

• Model and generation suffix (GC050VX, not just "GC050") — from the data plate, not memory
• Tire type: cushion press-on vs pneumatic — the letter before the digits, confirmed by what's on the truck
• Both sizes: drive (front) and steer (rear) are different sizes on nearly every model above
• Compound: smooth, traction, or non-marking — non-marking matters for food, pharma, and finished floors
• Air-filled or solid: pneumatic designation sizes come both ways; solids end flats for a small ride tradeoff
• Quantity: singles, axle pairs, or full sets — duals mean six tires, and 4+ tires triggers the automatic 15% discount

Why Buy Yale Forklift Tires from ForkliftTire.com

Run other makes too? Start with our master forklift tire sizes by make & model chart, or jump straight to the Hyster, Toyota, Clark or Caterpillar guides. Buying multiple positions at once? Tire sets and bundles stack the volume discount automatically — here's why matched sets save money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Tire sizes shown are reference data for models as commonly configured; equipment make and model alone do not confirm fitment. Always verify exact tire size, type, and both drive and steer dimensions before ordering. ForkliftTire.com is an independent retailer and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Hyster-Yale, Inc. or Yale Materials Handling. "Yale," "Veracitor," "Hyster," and all model names are trademarks of their respective owners, referenced here for fitment identification purposes only.