Telehandler Inspection Checklist: Daily Checks & Load Charts

A complete daily pre-start inspection covers four areas. Structure: every boom section visually inspected for cracks, dents, deformation; wear pads between boom sections for abnormal wear or excessive play; boom pivot pins; chassis and frame welds for cracks at high-stress joints; attachment interface. Hydraulics: every hose routed along the boom for abrasion at pinch points; cylinder rods for scoring or damage; fittings and reservoirs for leaks; hydraulic reservoir level; cold-cycle full boom function test for abnormal noise. Forks / attachment: fork heel thickness against the ANSI removal criterion of 90% of original; fork blade for cracks near heel and lower hook; fork tips aligned; locking pins positively securing forks on carriage; attachment quick-hitch mounting pins and retention mechanism functional. Stability: stabiliser pads for cracks and interlock preventing boom operation without deployment; tyre pressure within manufacturer PSI ± 2% with matched sets; frame level indicator calibrated to ± 1°; Load Moment Indicator (LMI) alarms tested and not bypassed; load chart present, legible, and correct for the currently fitted attachment. Every defect gets photo-documented at the time of inspection, not verbally reported later. Required daily under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.602 and evidenced under PUWER Regulation 6 in Great Britain.

A telehandler load chart is a 2D map showing rated capacity as a function of two variables: how far the boom extends forward (reach) and how high it lifts (boom angle or lift height). The chart is typically plotted with reach on the horizontal axis and lift height on the vertical axis, with capacity zones drawn as coloured or numbered regions across the working envelope. To use it: identify the required lift height and reach for the intended lift, find where those two values intersect on the chart, and read off the maximum capacity at that point. Rated capacity decreases as the boom extends outward and as it rises — sometimes dramatically. A telehandler rated at 10,000 lb close-in and low may only be rated at 1,500 lb fully extended at height. Additional factors that adjust the chart: attachment fitted (each attachment has its own chart), stabilisers deployed or not, machine on level ground or slope, load centre distance. The chart in the cab, not the data plate on the frame, is the operational reference for every lift. If the intended lift falls outside the working envelope on the chart, the lift cannot be performed with that machine in that configuration. 42% of telehandler tip-overs involve exceeding rated capacity per the chart, which makes this the single most important operator skill on the machine.

In Great Britain, LOLER Regulation 9 requires thorough examination by a competent person at statutory minimum intervals. For a telehandler used to lift loads only (fitted with forks or an approved load-lifting attachment): every 12 months. For a telehandler used to lift people (fitted with an approved work platform or man-basket): every 6 months. Lifting accessories used with the telehandler (chains, slings, shackles, eyebolts, hooks): every 6 months regardless of the machine's cadence. Additionally, thorough examination is required after any exceptional circumstances likely to affect safety — substantial repair, damage, relocation — or at intervals defined in a written scheme of examination prepared by a competent person. The examination is documented in a written report under Schedule 1 of the regulations, categorising defects as Cat A (immediate danger, reportable to HSE), Cat B (requiring timescaled repair), or Cat C (observation). LOLER thorough examination is distinct from routine maintenance and from the daily operator pre-start inspection — three separate activities with three separate records. Duty holders are legally responsible for scheduling, receiving the report, and acting on findings.

Yes, every attachment change effectively creates a different machine from the load chart's perspective. The manufacturer publishes a separate load chart for each approved attachment because rated capacity, load centre position, and stability envelope all shift with attachment type. Standard forks have one chart; a side-shift carriage adjusts it; a bucket, jib, block hook, grab, or man-basket each produce different charts. A block hook cantilevered forward of the carriage changes the load moment; a heavy bucket shifts the centre of gravity; a jib extends the effective reach. Operating on the wrong load chart, or with an unapproved attachment lacking a manufacturer chart entirely, defeats the Load Moment Indicator (LMI) protection because the LMI is calibrated to specific attachment weights and geometries — it can only warn the operator based on what it has been told about the current setup. The compliance rule: every attachment fitted must have its manufacturer-approved load chart present in the cab; the operator must be trained on the specific attachment; the attachment must be positively locked and inspected before the first lift of that shift; and where the attachment is not from the machine's OEM, it must be manufacturer-approved for that specific telehandler model. An unapproved attachment is a LOLER Cat A finding and an OSHA citation exposure.

Industry incident analysis consistently points to a small set of repeat causes, most of which are catchable at pre-start inspection or by operator training. Exceeding rated capacity per the load chart accounts for roughly 42% of tip-over incidents — typically operators lifting at a boom position where rated capacity is lower than assumed. Load Moment Indicator (LMI) systems defeated or bypassed accounts for approximately 32%, where the operator has silenced or overridden the safety alarm rather than adjusting the lift. Stabilisers not deployed or deployed on soft ground accounts for around 28% — the interlock preventing boom operation without stabiliser deployment is critical here, and float elimination on outriggers matters equally. Tyre condition and pressure failures account for approximately 18%, including under-inflation, mismatched sets, and sidewall damage. Operating on slopes greater than 5° accounts for around 15%, where the frame level indicator was ignored or uncalibrated. These causes overlap (a tip-over often involves more than one), and every one is either a pre-start inspection failure or an operator training failure, not a mechanical failure. Telehandlers are rarely mechanically defective when they tip — they are operated outside their working envelope with safety systems compromised.