Section 3: Operating Procedures
6/17/21
19
Transport Safety
DANGER
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
Keep attachment, loader arms, and/or load away from
overhead electrical power lines. Place an orange warning
sign under overhead lines indicating type of danger above.
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
•
Follow all safety precautions when transporting a load. Not
using safe transporting methods can damage the equipment
and cause serious injury or death.
•
Always transport loads as close to the ground as possible
without hitting objects. A load carried high could shift
causing the load to fall, tipping of the machine, and/or loss
•
Always transport over ramps and inclines with the heavy
end of the power machine on the “uphill” side. This may
require one to drive up or back down inclines.
•
Always travel straight up and straight down inclines. Never
•
Transporting loads across inclines, over ramps, on bumpy,
soft, or slippery surfaces reduces machine stability and lift
capacity. Transporting and lifting loads under these
conditions is extremely dangerous. Follow all transport
instructions in your power machine Operator’s Manual.
•
Only travel on public roadways if the attachment is empty.
Travel in such a way that faster moving vehicles may pass
safely. Use accessory lights, clean reflectors, and a slow
moving vehicle sign that is visible from the back to warn
operators in other vehicles of your presence. Always comply
with all federal, state, and local laws.
Claw Grapple Operation
Picking-Up A Load
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
•
Use a power machine of adequate size for the load being
carried. An undersized machine can roll over when raising
the loader arms due to high center of gravity.
•
Keep bystanders at a safe distance when entering and
picking up a load. Objects can shift or be thrown suddenly
as the attachment makes contact with load causing serious
•
Enter pick-up zone carefully making sure no object will
come through or pass the attachment into the operator’s
1. Be sure to read and understand all safety alerts
2. Make sure load does not exceed rated lift capacity of
the tractor being used to lift the load.
3. Check for overhead obstructions.
4. Center grapple on material to be picked up.
5. Make a complete stop in front of material and position
grapple at the proper height to enter the pile.
6. Fully open grapple jaw and slowly drive into the pile.
Do not ram grapple into pile.
7.
Close grapple jaw to secure load.
8. Lift load a few inches and tilt it back slightly.
9. Make sure you have good control of the load. If load
is not secure, release and recapture load in a more
secure location.
10. Back load out of the pile slowly, making sure load
clears all other obstacles.
11. Not always will load be secured properly in the
grapple when pulled free from a pile. Before traveling
with a loose load, lower load to ground, release load,
and re-clamp load to make it more secure.
12. Position load at a safe, low traveling height before
transferring to unloading site.
Traveling With A Load
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
Do not transport on public roadways with a load in the
attachment. The load can create a traffic hazard if it is too
wide, falls from the attachment, or obstructs the operator’s
vision and/or vision of operators in approaching vehicles.
1. Be sure to read and understand all safety alerts
2. Pedestrians always have the right-of-way.
3. Keep load tilted back slightly.
4. Travel with grapple and load as low as possible to the
ground.
5. Continually scan all sides for pedestrians, other
traffic, and obstacles.
6. If load is large and blocks your view, travel in reverse.
7.
Always drive at a safe speed and slow down when
going around corners. Avoid sudden braking.
8. Leave enough clearance when turning so that the
grapple and load does not contact obstacles such as
vehicles, buildings, trees, or fences.
IMPORTANT:
Do not ram attachment into a pile or
hook a chain to the attachment to secure a load.
Doing so can damage the attachment.
Close upper jaw with care when lifting