Telescopic handler

Last updated
Bobcat Telescopic handler FEMA - 10363 - Photograph by Mark Wolfe taken on 08-29-2004 in Florida.jpg
Bobcat Telescopic handler
JLG telescopic handler Telescopic handler2.jpg
JLG telescopic handler
A typical rotating telescopic handler Manitou MRT 1850 hl.jpg
A typical rotating telescopic handler
Telescopic handler used for cooling tower construction Telescopic handler used for cooling tower construction.jpg
Telescopic handler used for cooling tower construction
Dieci Agri Farmer Telehandler Dieci Agri Farmer Telehandler.jpg
Dieci Agri Farmer Telehandler
Dieci telehandler working with a cylinder handling attachment Dieci Hercules 190.10 telehandler.jpg
Dieci telehandler working with a cylinder handling attachment
Merlo rotating telehandler ROTO model Merlo ROTO model.jpg
Merlo rotating telehandler ROTO model

A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom, is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry. It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom (telescopic cylinder), making it more a crane than a forklift, with the increased versatility of a single telescopic boom that can extend forwards and upwards from the vehicle. The boom can be fitted with different attachments, such as a bucket, pallet forks, muck grab, or winch.

Contents

Uses

In industry, the most common attachment for a telehandler is pallet forks and the most common application is to move loads to and from places unreachable for a conventional forklift. For example, telehandlers have the ability to remove palletised cargo from within a trailer and to place loads on rooftops and other high places. The latter application would otherwise require a crane, which is not always practical or time-efficient.[ citation needed ]

In agriculture the most common attachment for a telehandler are buckets or bucket grabs, again the most common application is to move loads to and from places unreachable for a 'conventional machine' which in this case is a wheeled loader or backhoe loader.[ citation needed ] For example, telehandlers have the ability to reach directly into a high-sided trailer or hopper. The latter application would otherwise require a loading ramp, conveyor, or something similar.

The telehandler can also work with a crane jib along with lifting loads, the attachments that include on the market are dirt buckets, grain buckets, rotators, power booms. The agricultural range can also be fitted with three-point linkage and power take-off.

The advantage of the telehandler is also its biggest limitation: as the boom extends or raises while bearing a load, it acts as a lever and causes the vehicle to become increasingly unstable, despite counterweights in the rear. This means that the lifting capacity quickly decreases as the working radius (distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load) increases. When used as a loader the single boom (rather than twin arms) is very highly loaded and even with careful design is a weakness. A vehicle with a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) capacity with the boom retracted may be able to safely lift as little as 400 lb (180 kg) with it fully extended at a low boom angle. The same machine with a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) lift capacity with the boom retracted may be able to support as much as 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) with the boom raised to 70°. The operator is equipped with a load chart which helps him determine whether a given task is possible, taking into account weight, boom angle and height. Failing this, most telehandlers now utilize a computer which uses sensors to monitor the vehicle and will warn the operator and/or cut off further control input if the limits of the vehicle are exceeded, the latter being a legal requirement in Europe controlled by EN15000. Machines can also be equipped with front stabilizers which extend the lifting capability of the equipment while stationary, as well machines which are fully stabilised with a rotary joint between upper and lower frames, which can be called mobile cranes although they can typically still use a bucket, and are also often referred to as 'Roto' machines. They are a hybrid between a telehandler and small crane.

Operator licensing

In some jurisdictions, a license is required in order to operate a telehandler under law or regulations of a national or other jurisdictional authority.

For example, in Australia, a Gold Card can be obtained for telehandlers with a capacity of three tonnes or less for standard attachments where the machine is operated from below. The Gold Card is issued by the Telescopic Handler Association of Australia (TSHA). The Gold Card is not a legally required qualification however verbal instruction is not considered an appropriate training method[ according to whom? ] as it lacks evidence of competency training. Competency training with evidence of learning and written assessment is legally required[ by whom? ] in Australia. [1] [ failed verification ]

In Victoria, Australia, a WorkSafe CN licence is a legally required licence for machines with a capacity of over three tonnes with standard attachments where the machine is operated from below. [2] [ failed verification ] Telehandlers fitted with elevated work platform attachments and are operated from the basket are classified as elevated work platforms and require elevated work platform licences, such as the EWPA Yellow Card or Worksafe WP Licence. A WorkSafe C2 licence or higher may apply when using slewing-type telehandlers. [2] [ failed verification ]

Manufacturers

3-tonne Manitou Telehandler with stabiliser legs to help support heavy loads Telehandler 3 tonne with Stabilisers.jpg
3-tonne Manitou Telehandler with stabiliser legs to help support heavy loads

No longer in production

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skid-steer loader</span> Compact heavy equipment with differential steering

A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSL, or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forklift</span> Powered industrial truck

A forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various companies, including Clark, which made transmissions, and Yale & Towne Manufacturing, which made hoists. Since World War II, the use and development of the forklift truck have greatly expanded worldwide. Forklifts have become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing. In 2013, the top 20 manufacturers worldwide posted sales of $30.4 billion, with 944,405 machines sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excavator</span> Type of construction equipment

Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper, bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. They are a natural progression from the steam shovels and often mistakenly called power shovels, as power shovels may have similar looking buckets. All movement and functions of a hydraulic excavator are accomplished through the use of hydraulic fluid, with hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic motors. Due to the linear actuation of hydraulic cylinders, their mode of operation is fundamentally different from cable-operated excavators, which use winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crane (machine)</span> Type of machine

A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy objects and transporting them to other places. The device uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in transportation for the loading and unloading of freight, in construction for the movement of materials, and in manufacturing for the assembling of heavy equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loader (equipment)</span> Heavy equipment machine

A loader is a heavy equipment machine used in construction to move or load materials such as soil, rock, sand, demolition debris, etc. into or onto another type of machinery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backhoe</span> Type excavating equipment (vehicle)

A backhoe—also called rear actor or back actor—is a type of excavating equipment, or digger, consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. It is typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader, the latter forming a "backhoe loader". The section of the arm closest to the vehicle is known as the boom, while the section that carries the bucket is known as the dipper, both terms derived from steam shovels. The boom, which is the long piece of the backhoe arm attached to the tractor through a pivot called the king-post, is located closest to the cab. It allows the arm to pivot left and right, typically through a range of 180 to 200 degrees, and also enables lifting and lowering movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy equipment</span> Vehicles designed for executing construction tasks

Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. Heavy equipment usually comprises five equipment systems: the implement, traction, structure, power train, and control/information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial work platform</span> Truck with mechanical device for lifting people up to high places

An aerial work platform (AWP), also known as an aerial device, elevating work platform (EWP), cherry picker, bucket truck or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment to inaccessible areas, usually at height. There are distinct types of mechanized access platforms and the individual types may also be known as a "cherry picker", "boom lift" or "scissor lift".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gantry crane</span> Type of overhead crane used in industrial environments

A gantry crane is a crane built atop a gantry, which is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace. They can range from enormous "full" gantry cranes, capable of lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world, to small shop cranes, used for tasks such as lifting automobile engines out of vehicles. They are also called portal cranes, the "portal" being the empty space straddled by the gantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydraulic cylinder</span> Mechanical tool for applying force

A hydraulic cylinder is a mechanical actuator that is used to give a unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke. It has many applications, notably in construction equipment, manufacturing machinery, elevators, and civil engineering. A hydraulic cylinder is a hydraulic actuator that provides linear motion when hydraulic energy is converted into mechanical movement. It can be likened to a muscle in that, when the hydraulic system of a machine is activated, the cylinder is responsible for providing the motion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matbro</span>

Matbro was a brand of lifting equipment, popular with farmers. Matbro produced a wide range of all terrain forklifts and telescopic handlers in their distinctive yellow livery, using engines derived from Ford and Perkins. Matbro began operating at a loss in the late 1990s and in the end went under in 2003 after accounting issues in their parent company Powerscreen. The old designs were then sold to the tractor company John Deere, which sub-licensed them to heavy lifting company Terex, who continued to evolve the designs, with new ideas such as side-mounted engines instead of rear ones and hydrostatic drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Material-handling equipment</span> Machinery and equipment used for transporting objects and materials

Material handling equipment (MHE) is mechanical equipment used for the movement, storage, control, and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. The different types of equipment can be classified into four major categories: transport equipment, positioning equipment, unit load formation equipment, and storage equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reach stacker</span> Vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers

A reach stacker is a vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small terminals or medium-sized ports. Reach stackers can transport a container short distances very quickly and pile them in various rows depending on their access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JLG Industries</span> American manufacturer of high-level access equipment

JLG Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation, is an American designer, manufacturer, and marketer of access equipment, including aerial work platforms and telehandlers. The company's products are utilized in various industries such as construction, fit-outs, industrial maintenance, material handling, and facilities maintenance. JLG was founded in 1969 and operated independently until its acquisition by Oshkosh Corporation in 2006. With a global presence, JLG is headquartered in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019.

A bucket is a specialized container attached to a machine, as compared to a bucket adapted for manual use by a human being. It is a bulk material handling component.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quick coupler</span>

Quick couplers are used with construction machines to allow the rapid change of buckets and attachments on the machine. They remove the need to use hammers to manually drive out and insert the mounting pins for attachments. They also bring with them additional safety risks that must be overcome by careful design and manufacture, and proper use.

A Drum handler is a piece of mechanical equipment that is used to securely grip, lift and transport cylindrical modules such as steel drums, barrels, plastic drums and fiber drums. It has spring-loaded metal arms to create a tight and secure grip. This equipment is commonly used in chemical and petroleum industries, as well as industries that require shipping and storing of cylindrical modules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifting equipment</span> Equipment that can be used to lift and lower loads

Lifting equipment, also known as lifting gear, is a general term for any equipment that can be used to lift and lower loads. Types of lifting equipment include heavy machinery such as the patient lift, overhead cranes, forklifts, jacks, building cradles, and passenger lifts, and can also include smaller accessories such as chains, hooks, and rope. Generally, this equipment is used to move material that cannot be moved with manual labor, and are tools used in most work environments, such as warehouses, and is a requirement for most construction projects, such as bridges and buildings. This equipment can also be used to equip a larger number of packages and goods, requiring less persons to move material. Lifting equipment includes any form of equipment that is used for vertical lifting, and equipment used to move material horizontally is not considered lifting equipment, nor is equipment designed to support. As lifting equipment can be dangerous to use, it is a common subject of safety regulations in most countries, and heavy machinery usually requires certified workers to limit workplace injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weidemann GmbH</span>

Weidemann GmbH is a multinational agricultural machinery company based in Diemelsee-Flechtdorf in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse, Germany. It produces Hoftracs, wheel loaders, telescopic wheel loaders and telehandlers, which are preferably used on farmland for feeding, scattering, fertilising, loading and stacking. The company has sites in Diemelsee-Flechtdorf and Korbach, and is part of the Wacker Neuson group.

Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.

References

  1. "Telescopic Handler Association - Telescopic Handler Association of Australia". www.tsha.com.au. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  2. 1 2 "Do you need a licence? - WorkSafe". www.worksafe.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  3. "StackPath". www.forconstructionpros.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. "UMG Строительно-дорожная техника".
  5. "ОАО "АМКОДОР" - управляющая компания холдинга»".

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Telescopic handlers at Wikimedia Commons