What are the various applications of a telehandler?

The telehandler. Ideal to lift goods. It picks up a load on its forks and can consequently lift or move the load. Thanks to its telescopic boom, it can reach places other lifting equipment can't. Furthermore, it can be used on rough terrain, which is again not the case for all machines.

Of course the telehandler offers other possible applications than just lifting goods.

CAN I ALSO HOIST WITH MY TELEHANDLER AND HOW CAN I DO THIS IN A SAFE WAY?

In principle, a telehandler is a lifting device but it can also be used as a hoisting device. Instead of picking up goods on its forks and lifting them, it can also hoist heavy loads by means of a crane jib with a hook or a winch . In that case, the loads are lifted from above instead of from below.

It's important to take into account below basic principles when hoisting a load:

• Suspend the load from the hook at the bottom of the hoisting device.
• Carefully bring the lifting equipment under tension.
• Check the balance of the load.
• Provide sufficient stability to move the load.

Also when moving the load, you need to pay attention to a number of elements, namely:

• Move the load as low to the ground as possible (± 50 cm).
• Move fluently and without jolts.
• Always start moving in a calm manner and gradually increase the speed. Only accelerate if you consider this necessary, as maintaining a constant speed will prevent your load from swinging.

Finally, when putting down the goods, we gladly offer you following advice:

• Make sure there's enough space on the floor, table, pallet ...
• Place mats or bumpers to prevent rolling.
• The load must hang completely motionless before lowering it.
• Lower the load hook so that you can easily detach the hook, clamp, chain or other tool.
• Hoist the hook sufficiently high after using the telehandler, but don't hoist it up to the upper safety limit.
• Store the used hook, clamp, chain or other tool in the designated area.

Furthermore, for safety reasons, it's obligatory to have the hoisting equipment checked on a regular basis. A hoisting license is not required by law, but as an employer you are obliged to ensure your employees are well-informed. They must receive an appropriate training before hoisting goods with a telehandler or before working with a telehandler at all.

CAN I ALSO LIFT PEOPLE WITH MY TELEHANDLER AND HOW CAN I DO THIS IN A SAFE WAY?

Do you need to lift people and thus use your telehandler as an aerial work platform? Although a telehandler is actually designed exclusively to lift goods, you can - exceptionally and provided adequate measures have been taken - use your telehandler to lift people. The extra measures need to be taken to guarantee the safety of the workers. An example of such measure is the use of a safety cage that can be mounted on the forks of a telehandler.

According to the law, people can only be lifted with work equipment intended for that purpose, such as order pickers, lifts, aerial work platforms … Provided that these adequate measures are used, you can and are allowed to lift people. It is however strictly forbidden to lift people on the forks or on a pallet that is laying on the forks. Get yourself thoroughly informed about the extra measures before using the telehandler.

We recommend you to thoroughly go over our 7 tips to work safely at altitude if you're planning on using your telehandler as an aerial work platform.

INFLUENCE OF ATTACHMENTS ON MY TELEHANDLER

Telehandlers obtain an enhanced functionality and stability thanks to attachments such as a crane jib or a safety cage, but they losepart of their lifting capacity as a result. It's important to keep in mind an adjusted load diagram at all times.

Crane jibs and safety cages are two types of attachments for your telehandler, but these are by no means the only ones. In our range of attachments you can also find fork positioners, bale clamps, scoops, snow ploughs … The possibilities for your telehandler are endless! Curious? Have a look at our range of CAM attachments®-products and find out everything you need to know about them.

Ingeborg, TVH blogger