To make certain that safety is a main concern, there are 5 important steps. To be able to make sure that the unit is visually safe, the initial step is to perform a Walk-Around Inspection. 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 unit is working in a safe manner. The 4th thing to think about is Proper Operation, in order to determine whether or not the unit is operating safely. Last of all, Proper Shutdown should be checked in order to make certain the unit is capable of shutting down properly and is in a safe place.
At the center of the 5 steps and this regulation, there is a machine which 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 of course there are risks.
The rear-axle pivot point, and the two front wheels make up the triangular base of the telehandler. Typically the rear axle oscillates and therefore, the back wheels are not a part of the base. The telehandler remains upright as long as the machine's center of gravity, that is defined as the point in 3 dimensions around which the machine's weight is balanced, stays oriented in 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 will change the center of gravity upwards to the rear. At the same time, the stability triangle shrinks when this happens. Therefore, the higher you raise a load, the less of a margin for error you have since the stability triangle lessens.
With a small but stable stability triangle, it leaves less room for the center of gravity to move left or right. This wandering action can change the stability triangle, leaving less room for the frame to remain balanced if it is not perfectly level. For example, imagine the center of gravity resembling a plumb bob hanging from the boom. You would always be able to find the center of gravity someplace on a totally vertical line between the center of the ground and a point on the boom. If the frame is not level, the center of gravity would not be oriented over the machine's centerline. The stability triangle is continuously aligned with the equipment's centerline.