This article answers the question: Can you use a boom lift on uneven ground?
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Besides boom lifts, well also cover using scissor lifts on slopes.
Plus, lots more
Lets dive in!
Table of Contents
You might be wondering: Can boom lifts tip over?
Answer: Yes, especially if you use one on a slope that exceeds the booms gradeability or chassis angle limit.
And that is the main reason why operating a boom lift on a slope is dangerous.
In fact, tip-overs are responsible for one-third of boom lift accidents according to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health.
Besides tip-overs, there are a couple other slope dangers, including:
Slopes reduce traction, leading to slippages
Slopes extend the stopping distance, making braking harder
These risks are why OSHA requires that aerial lift operators recognize and understand the hazards associated with using the equipment.
That way, operators can ensure they eliminate or work around them.
Mathematically speaking, a slope is simply any surface with an incline.
So any time an aerial lift is not on perfectly level ground, its technically on a slope.
Thus, slopes include not only ramps and hills but a variety of other surfaces like raised sidewalks and uneven gravel.
Lets unpack this question a little bit.
The word use can mean two different things with boom lifts:
So the answer to this question depends on which sense of the word use is meant.
If youre talking about driving your boom lift on a hill, you can
Provided that the platform is fully lowered and you dont exceed the manufacturers gradeability limit.
How do you know what the gradeability limit is?
Check the identification plate installed on the lift.
You can also find it in the operators manual.
This is practically universally prohibited by manufacturers.
In fact, Genie, JLG, and Skyjack each clearly restrict doing so in their owners manuals.
This is because raising the boom on a slope can easily cause the lift to topple over.
The exception to this rule is boom lifts with outriggers.
These machines are designed for uneven surfaces since the outriggers provide a way to level the lift and thus elevate it safely.
Well discuss outriggers in more detail in the section below called What Should You Do When Your Aerial Lift Cant Handle a Particular Slope?
A rough terrain 4×4 boom lift for uneven ground is a good option for driving on slopes.
These all-terrain boom lifts are equipped with pneumatic or foam-filled tires and powerful engines.
This combination helps them traverse uneven ground and slopes better than other types of boom lifts.
The rules for operating a scissor lift on a slope are the same as using a boom lift on a slope.
Just to review, you can drive a scissor lift on a slope provided you dont exceed the manufacturers gradeability limit.
But you cannot raise the platform of a scissor lift on a slope.
Genie, JLG, and Skyjack each respectively prohibit elevating a scissor lift on uneven ground
Its hard to tip over a scissor lift if you follow the manufacturers limits.
And that means not elevating on a slope and staying within the side force limits.
But its easy to tip one over if you disregard these rules.
Weve mentioned gradeability in the previous two sections.
This is an important term in the context of operating boom and scissor lifts on uneven ground.
But its often confused with chassis angle limits.
So, whats the difference?
Boom lift gradeability refers to the ability of the lift to travel over an incline while stowed and traveling in a specific direction.
The chassis angle limit, on the other hand, is how much of an incline the aerial lift can elevate on.
Now, weve already said that elevating on an incline is prohibited in most cases.
But if your lift does allow it, its important that you dont confuse these two terms.
Otherwise, you can end up with a lift that wont do what you want it to.
Or worse, you could end up tipping the lift over.
Many aerial lifts have slope sensors.
These are usually located in the base frame, near the ground controls, or on the turntable.
What do these slope sensors do?
If the lift is used on a slope exceeding the machines limit, an alarm will sound to alert the operator.
When that happens, the platform must be lowered and the lift must be re-positioned on a surface that is within the safe working angle allowed by the manufacturer.
Your lifts owners manual will provide the exact steps for doing so:
The problem is that, in the past, these warnings were more of a suggestion than a mandate.
That is, operators werent always actually prevented from further operating the lift.
But recent changes made to ANSI A92 specify that manufacturers must provide a means to automatically shut down the lifts functions if the slope rating is exceeded.
In that case, the operator can only move the lift away from the trouble area.
In doing so, ANSIs updated standard improves safety by eliminating the option for the operator to continue working on unsafe terrain.
So if your Genie boom lift wont drive or your Genie scissor lift will not move, a good thing to check first is that youre not on a slope that exceeds the lifts limits.
Recall that you usually cannot raise or extend a boom arm or scissor lift platform unless the lift is on a level surface.
Thus, this section only explains how to determine if you can drive either a boom lift or scissor lift on a particular slope.
There are 3 steps in this process.
Lets go through each in detail.
Youll first need to measure the slope in question to determine its grade.
For more information, please visit Wonder Machinery.
There are 2 methods for doing this.
This is the easiest way.
You can simply download this free app (iOS or Android) and use your to do it.
Just open the app, place your on the slope, and it will automatically calculate the angle for you.
This method involves finding the rise and the run of the slope.
To do so, youll need a:
Here are the steps for finding the rise and the run and converting that measurement to find the slopes grade:
For example, lets say you have a 36-inch long board.
You follow steps 1 through 4 and find that your rise is 6 inches.
Step 5 would be: 6 inches ÷ 36 inches = 0..
And completing step 6 (0. x 100) gives you a slope grade percentage of 16.667%.
Fortunately, if you dont want to manually do this math, you can use this free grade calculator to do it for you.
Once youve determined the grade of the slope you need to traverse, youll next need to find your lifts gradeability rating.
As mentioned, this can be found on the data plate or the operators manual.
Take your two numbers (the measurement of the slope and your boom lifts maximum slope).
If the slope is greater than the rating, do not drive the lift on the slope.
For example, lets say you need to traverse an incline of 8% with a Genie Z-45 articulating boom lift.
After reviewing the owners manual, you find out that this articulating boom lifts limitation for slopes is as follows:
In that case, your lift can handle the incline.
But thats not quite all
Because youll also need to ensure the overall ground conditions and traction are acceptable.
You have a few options in this scenario.
Lets go through each one.
For safetys sake, it may be your best option to acquire a different lift for the job.
For instance, you may need to rent a larger telescopic boom lift that can reach farther out.
This can make it unnecessary to traverse the slope since youll be able to reach beyond it.
This method involves creating a level surface for the aerial lift to operate on.
So if youre wondering how to level a boom lift, this can be one effective method.
Again, you should refer to the owners manual to determine if your specific lift can work with cribbing and what the specific instructions are for how to construct the cribbing.
For instance, Genie and JLG both offer supplemental cribbing instructional manuals.
You can view Genies here and JLGs here.
Then, build your cribbing material to comply with it.
If you have a scissor lift or boom lift with outriggers, you should use them.
Thats because the outriggers allow the machine to be leveled on uneven ground.
How does this work?
First off, self-leveling boom lifts exist which take care of this automatically.
For instance, JLGs X500AJ tracked boom lift has this functionality.
To auto-level the boom lift, you simply press a button and the outriggers extend out until the lift is level.
But if you dont have an auto-leveling boom lift, youll have to manually level the lift using the outriggers.
Then, youll check their level using the lifts bubble levels.
If the machine isnt perfectly level, youll need to adjust each outrigger until it is.
And as always, make sure you check the operators manual for specific instructions on how to do this.
This method involves using a winch, forklift, or crane to traverse the slope.
If using the winch method, check your aerial lifts manual for the proper procedure.
If using a forklift or crane, first check your boom or scissor lifts data tag for the weight.
Then, compare it to the capacity of your chosen material handling equipment.
Finally, check your owners manual.
This should provide the proper procedure for lifting the aerial lift.
Youve followed the steps above and can operate your lift on a slope.
Now, here are a few important tips on how to move a scissor lift or boom lift safely on uneven ground:
These inspections help identify any deficiencies in the lift.
If you skip this step and operate on a slope, you greatly increase the risk of something bad happening.
Not to mention, youll also be in violation of OSHA, which mandates pre-start inspections.
This is part of the pre-start inspection.
Check for any defects in the work area and slope, like loose gravel, potholes, and ditches.
And ensure you correct these issues before operating.
This can affect the stability of the lift if its not within spec.
Check the tire itself or the owners manual for the proper PSI for your aerial lifts tires.
If theyre not inflated to spec, get them up to par.
Doing so will give you more time to react.
And that will improve your safety as well as the safety of others around you.
Slopes require a longer distance to stop your aerial lift.
Maintaining extra braking distance will help you avoid sudden stopping, which can eject you from the platform.
Additionally, youll have more time to react to obstructions in the way, like equipment and workers.
As mentioned above, these help to level and stabilize the lift on uneven surfaces.
And that helps reduce the chances of a tip-over when elevating.
Congratulations!
You now know if you can use a boom lift or scissor lift on uneven ground.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit self propelled vertical lift.