Telehandler lift with the load centre beyond the chart
You are operating a telehandler with a maximum forward reach of 10 m to lift a pallet of dense concrete blocks weighing 720 kg onto a first-floor loading bay. The pallet is 1.2 m deep and the load is stacked evenly, so its load centre is about 600 mm from the pallet face. The boom will be at 4.2 m forward reach. The capacity chart in the cab gives 650 kg at 4.2 m with a 500 mm load centre and 520 kg at the same reach with a 600 mm load centre. The machine is standing on compacted hardcore, but there is a soft patch about 2 m in front of the front axle. The wind is gusting to 25 km/h and the load has a large sail area. A banksman is present, but the delivery driver is impatient and tells you to just get it up.
1. Can the lift be made as planned? Show your reasoning using the figures.
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No. The chart's 650 kg is only valid at a 500 mm load centre. The pallet is 1.2 m deep, so the load centre is about 600 mm; at that load centre the capacity at 4.2 m is 520 kg. The load is 720 kg, which is 200 kg over, or about 138% of capacity. Even at the 500 mm figure it would be 70 kg over. The soft patch 2 m in front of the axle reduces ground bearing and stability, and the gusting wind on a large sail area adds load. The banksman and the driver's impatience do not change the calculation. Reject the lift as planned.
2. What would you do to complete the lift safely, and what communication and records are needed?
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Re-plan the lift. Options include moving the machine closer to reduce the forward reach, if the ground is made stable and the chart gives enough capacity at the new reach; using a higher-capacity machine; splitting the pallet into smaller loads; or using a different lifting method. Do not add counterweight or rely on the banksman to catch the load. Check the ground and use spreader mats or outriggers if fitted. Keep the exclusion zone under the load, agree radio signals, check the wind limit in the operator manual, and make a trial lift just off the ground. Record the revised lift plan, the capacity figures used, the ground treatment and the instruction given to the driver. If no safe configuration is available, stop and escalate. The record should show why the original plan was rejected and what changed.