Industrial jobs call for moving large objects in unanticipated locations. As a manager or operator, it can be frustrating when one-size fits-all heavy lifting rigging equipment fails to actually fit.

Indoor industrial jobs sometimes call for moving materials that don’t adhere to the traditional applications of cranes and other rigging apparatuses. These machines are great for lifting and setting down steel beams, heavy pieces of equipment, shipping containers, and other objects that will be primarily used outdoors or in building construction. But for indoor jobs, you might need to move objects into tight spaces. Traditionally, high-capacity, indoor jobs can be completed using a heavy duty forklift. But what happens when the object you’re moving doesn’t fit the common specifications associated with pallets, containers, or even other objects with consistent specs (like steel sheets, pipes, or lumber)? You might need to move heavy manufacturing equipment or heavy-duty machinery. So what do you do when that object does not comply with the lifting capacity or recommended load center for your traditional forklift or other material handling equipment?

Heavy Lifting Rigging Equipment: Finding a Forklift that Works

Luckily, the right forklift can work as heavy lifting rigging equipment if it comes equipped with a telescopic boom used to rig materials. For example, Toyota’s High-Capacity Adjustable Wheelbase comes standard with a telescopic boom that can rig materials for movement indoors. The forks can quickly be removed and replaced with the boom, meaning you’ll be able to move materials as efficiently as possible.

Once your uncommonly-shaped material is rigged, moving into tight, indoor spaces will be an easier process as a result. And for even tighter fits, having an adjustable wheelbase on the Toyota can be a major benefit, since the High-Capacity Adjustable Wheelbase allows you to extend and retract the wheelbase while also adding or removing counterweight slabs to increase and decrease load capacity. This can be a major benefit as long as the weight and shape of the material you’re moving falls within the recommendations at the specific wheelbase length and amount of counterweight slabs.

Remote control operation can also be an excellent feature when moving this type of material or manufacturing equipment, another option offered on the High-Capacity Adjustable Wheelbase. Remote capability means you can get out of the operator cab in order to ensure you have an improved view of the awkward object you’re moving and other objects in the facility (like racking or other machinery).

But why buy this expensive product for a one or two-time a year movement? Not to worry; forklifts with rigging capability like the Toyota High-Capacity Adjustable Wheelbase are prevalent in the rental market. As long as you are an operator or can employ an operator who has been trained to handle such a machine, you’ll be able to get one on site, move your object, and send it away quickly, so you can get back to doing whatever it is that you do best.

Original Post: Jake Stewart, Digital Marketing Specialist, Toyota Material Handling USA