Figure 8-21.Direction of travel on a grade.
floors, uneven terrain, special load-handling
attachments, or loads with a high center of gravity.
Under these conditions, the safe working load is well
below the rated capacity. Under special conditions, you
must reduce your load so your forklift will remain stable.
5. Handle only stable loads. Many loads are made
up of unstable items that can be easily dislodged. This
rule is critical to your safety when the forklift is not
equipped with an overhead guard or roll over protection
structure (ROPS).
6. Center the weight of wide loads between the
forks; otherwise, the load may topple off the forks when
you turn a corner or hit a bump.
7. Watch swing when handling long loads.
Failure to watch clearance at the ends of your load can
cause you to strike persons or objects.
8. Keep the load against the carriage by
maintaining a slight backward tilt.
9. Do not travel with the load raised higher than 6
inches from the floor until you are ready to deposit the
load. When loads are carried in an elevated position, the
stability of the forklift is reduced. The load or part of it
can fall on someone or something.
10. Drive carefully, observe traffic rules, and be in
full control of the forklift at all times.
POSITIONING. When loading and stacking
material, move the forklift truck forward until the load
arms are entirely under the load to be lifted. Ensure the
load is centered on the arms and that it is well-seated
against the face of the lifting carriage. When picking up
round objects, first tilt the uprights so the forks slide
along the floor or ground under the object to be lifted,
as shown in figure 8-22. Then decelerate, tilt backwark,
and accelerate until there is enough backward tilt of the
mast to allow safe handling of the load.
NOTE: Lifting speed is controlled by the speed of
the engine and the extent the control lever is pulled.
Engine speed has no effect on lowering speed.
Never race the engine while hoisting a load. Too
much engine speed will not increase the speed of the
hoisting mechanism but may result in fast wear and
possible damage to the engine. From practice and
experience, you will be able to determine the best
hoisting speed by sound, sight, and feel. When a load
has been raised to the desired height, ease the hoist lever
to the neutral position and move the forklift to the base
of the stack the load is to be placed.
Figure 8-22.Tilt position for picking up round objects.
8-11