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How much have you lifted with your tele? I need beyond max lift.

fastline

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
1,104
Location
OK
Yes, I know, NEVER exceed the ratings, but we have to, or at least try. I need to lift a machine off a trailer. Literally pickup with 2 point chain system, drive trailer out, set it down. That's it. Problem is the Skytrak is an 8042 and machine weighs 11k. We do have support equipment to assist the lift so it WILL happen, but it is most ideal to get it all with the Skytrack.
 

Cmark

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
3,176
Location
Australia
The only thing I can say is that safe working loads are usually based around tipping factors, not breaking factors. If you can lift the load in the air without tipping then, as long as you don't increase the radius, you should be OK to put it on the ground.
 

Delmer

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Jan 3, 2013
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8,864
Location
WI
If I had to do it, I'd try to get the truck at close to a right angle to the trailer, with the Skytrak coming from behind the truck, at a right angle to the trailer as tight as possible, tires touching the trailer, because the trailer will pivot away from the Skytrak as the truck pull away. Have the boom halfway up, so you're not putting as much strain on the boom and cylinder as you'd be at a lower angle. Hook both chains to a point at the center of the fork carriage, so the load is balanced side to side.

This contradicts Cmark, as you will increase the radius as you lower the equipment below where it sat originally on the trailer. You could do a practice lift of a few inches with the Skytrak a few feet farther from the trailer if you're more concerned about tipping than overloading. I would imagine there will be plenty of load capacity that close in, assuming this is a smaller piece of equipment, not some huge, bulky thing. I would skip the practice lift if the trailer isn't much wider than the machine, like if the tires/tracks are close to the edge of the trailer.
 

Bls repair

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Jan 21, 2017
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1,612
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S E Pa
Occupation
Equipment operator,mechanic
How much over rated capacity? Old saying better safe then sorry :D
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
but we have to

You don't have to, you want to. Nobody is making you do it. Just so we have semantics right, and we can tell the widows something.

It will cost you $20,000 to fix your tele, if you bend it. I've set up half a dozen that have been laid over. I was on a jobsite where a 9k picked up a 12,000lb manlift off a trailer, foreman told the operator "it will be fine, we've done it before". It picked the manlift fine, then dumped it off the forks on the way to the ground, after the trailer pulled out. That was a $95,000 mistake, they scrapped the manlift afterwards.

Just for a example, most rubber tired lifting equipment is built with a 15-25% safety margin for capacities. Most skid loaders show a rated capacity at 50%, to deal with side slope factors. Cranes are rated on tires at 75% of capacity. Telehandler manufactures don't show their %, I think just to keep people from doing the math and pushing the limits, trying to limit their liability. You're looking at around 140% of capacity pick. Which makes you a idiot if you do it. It might work, it might not, but equipment is pretty expensive and people are priceless.

Do you want to buy the truck driver a new trailer, if the forklift comes off the ground and it and the load, smashes back down into the rear of the trailer? (I've seen it happen) Do you want to make the phone call to the widow of the guy, that gets hit by a dunnage block that gets shot out from under it, when it falls?

"Oh we were only making a 140% of capacity pick, we were going to stop if something looked wrong." It will go wrong before you can do anything about it, if it goes wrong.

All that said, if I had a 10k telehandler with outriggers I'd make a 11,000lbs pick on level ground, outriggers down, with no boom extended. Which would be 10% over capacity, but that's my comfort level, I'm not about to tell you where you should be.

I will say - 140% is stupid territory, and with what insurance and workman's comp costs, why do that? Especially when its so easy to go rent a bigger telehandler that will do it, or if you have other equipment there to take part of the load.
 

icestationzebra

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
366
Location
WI
"Telehandler manufactures don't show their %, I think just to keep people from doing the math and pushing the limits, trying to limit their liability."

That's because telehandler load charts are not based on a percentage, rather the ability to not tip on certain predetermined slopes per the standard. Most are also based on lifting a 4ft cube, so rigging at the base of the carriage will gain some capacity.

But like Crane Operator says if something happens you will not have a leg to stand on. And god forbid someone gets seriously hurt or killed everyone involved will get sued looking for $$$. Even Sky Trak/JLG would get dragged into it. That is why if you read the manual the only 'legal' way to lift a load like that is with a jib. Otherwise if you were to use a nylon strap on the carriage and it breaks JLG would be liable because they said you could do it. Similarly you are also not allowed to travel with a suspended load - you can't calculate the loading when you don't know the travel speed, length of rigging, slopes, tire condition, tire pressure, etc.

ISZ
 
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