If you find a safety-critical fault, damaged fork, hydraulic leak, or warning-system defect, remove the machine from service immediately and follow the site's isolation process. Contact your local authorized dealer to report the issue and arrange for certified diagnostic troubleshooting, genuine factory replacement parts, or professional repairs. Never bypass a load-management or interlock system.

 

Assess the Ground and the Work Area

Before you set up, walk the travel route and lifting area. Look for soft ground, voids, recently disturbed fill, slopes, buried services, drainage covers, and excavation edges.

Stabilizer feet can put high point loads into the ground. Use suitable pads or engineered support where required and make sure every foot is fully supported. Pads spread the load; they do not make weak ground safe.

Set an exclusion zone and check overhead services, structures, scaffolding, lighting, and other obstructions. If the boom or load blocks the operator's view, use a trained signaler with clear communication.

 

Set Up Stabilizers and Frame Leveling Correctly

When the machine is fitted with stabilizers and frame leveling, set it up in this order:

1. Position the machine on the approved standing area.
2. Lower the boom and apply the parking brake.
3. Place suitable pads where required.
4. Deploy stabilizers to the permitted configuration.
5. Level the machine within the system's operating range.
6. Confirm the correct chart or load-management mode.
7. Begin the lift only after the setup is stable.

Do not change the stabilizer configuration or use frame leveling to correct the chassis while a load is elevated unless the manufacturer explicitly provides an approved procedure. If the setup changes, lower the load and reassess.

On rotary telehandlers, the machine can calculate a working envelope from the actual stabilizer extension. This does not replace ground assessment or lift planning; it ensures the displayed chart reflects the current support footprint.

Avoid travelling with the boom raised. Retract and lower it to the travel position, maintain a clear view, and choose a speed that matches the surface and load.

When precise alignment is needed at height, selected Bobcat SLP telehandlers use the Boom Positioning System to side-shift the boom without moving the chassis. This can reduce the need for repeated repositioning, but the operator must remain within the load chart and the system's permitted travel.

 

Travel Safely on Slopes and Rough Ground

Follow the operator's manual for travel on gradients, because the correct direction depends on the machine, load, and attachment. As a minimum:

• Keep the boom retracted and the load low.
• Avoid sharp turns, side slopes, sudden braking, and high speed.
• Confirm the load is stable and does not obstruct the route.
• Use a signaler where visibility is restricted.
• Do not drive close to excavation edges or unsupported shoulders.
• Reassess the route when rain, traffic, or groundworks change conditions.

Do not treat four-wheel drive or large tires as a substitute for suitable ground.

 

Use Approved Attachments and Platforms

Every attachment changes weight distribution, load center, visibility, and capacity. Check that it is approved for the machine and select the correct attachment-specific chart.

Suspended loads require additional planning because the load can swing. Use the approved jib or winch, the correct chart, and the required lift plan. Personnel must be raised only on an approved work platform on a machine configured and permitted for that purpose. Never lift people on bare forks or improvised pallets.

 

Choose Capacity From the Critical Lift

Your critical lift is the combination of load weight, height, reach, and attachment that places the greatest demand on the machine. It is not always the heaviest load: a lighter pallet at long reach can be more demanding than a heavier load held close to the chassis.

Use these five questions to size the machine:

Do not oversize solely for perceived safety. A larger machine can add ground pressure, blind areas, transport cost, and access problems. Choose the smallest model that completes the critical lift within its approved chart and fits the site.

Sources and Further Reading

• Bobcat Telehandlers
• Bobcat T41.140SLP