There are 5 key steps to ensuring safety is a top priority. The initial step is completing a Walk-Around Inspection to be able to insure that the model is visually safe. After that assess if the worksite is safe to use with a Worksite Assessment. The Function Test is the third step in order to know whether or not the model is safely functioning. The 4th thing to take into account is Proper Operation, so as to determine whether or not the unit is safely working. Last of all, Proper Shutdown should be checked so as to make sure the unit is in a safe place and is capable of shutting down properly.
At the center of the 5 steps and this regulation, there is a machine that lifts heavy weights to impressive heights and stands on a triangular footprint. The main goal is to be able to keep the telehandler upright, but for sure there are dangers.
The two front wheels, and the rear-axle pivot point make up the telehandler's triangular base. Usually the back axle oscillates and hence, the back wheels are not a part of the base. The telehandler remains upright as long as the equipment's center of gravity, that is defined as the point in 3 dimensions around which the machine's weight is balanced, stays oriented inside the stability triangle.
When a load is positioned on the forks while the boom is down, the center of gravity forward and down. The load if raised would move the center of gravity to the rear upwards. At the same time, the stability triangle shrinks when this happens. Thus, the higher you lift a load, the less of a margin for error you have as the stability triangle lessens.
With a stable but small stability triangle, it leaves less room for the center of gravity to move right or left. This wandering action can change the stability triangle, leaving less room for the frame to remain balanced if it is not perfectly level. For instance, imagine the center of gravity resembling a plumb bob hanging from the boom. You will always be able to find the center of gravity someplace on a totally vertical line between a point on the boom and the center of the ground. If the frame is not level, the center of gravity would not be oriented over the equipment's centerline. The stability triangle is continuously aligned with the centerline of the machine.