..I like your idea of having it small enough to slip on the forks...
Sounds like for your shop though you'll need a stouter setup and forklift than I have.
Could still be easily portable, but you need forks that are both long enough to keep the mast out of the bumper, and strong enough at the tips to hold the weight you'll be lifting.
My forks are just long enough to make it work on an AD bigbolt, and might not be strong enough for a complete truck with engine, haven't tried that yet...
It is easy to install/remove and tote, just unhook the chain, remove the T shaped thing with the grab hook that slips behind the forks, lay it on the front part and wrap the chain around it all once, then you've got a nice handle, and I guess it weighs about 20 lb or so.
Grigg
