Discussion:
electric pallet jack of death

the store i work at has a fairly impressive fleet of lift trucks for a retail operation. the guys in unloading are tasked with routine maintenance and repairs. no one has been trained by the manufacturer or a 3rd party. any training was in house with possible support from c.o. by phone.

we have a yale electric walk-behind pallet jack in operation with the throttle and reverse.... switched.. this also affects the emergency stop button on the handle, between the throttles, which normally stops the machine from squishing the operator against a wall. it now does the opposite..

it now acts as a reverse, which would pin your *** instead of making it impossible to pin your ***.. management is aware of the issue. its not locked/tagged out. keys are still in it.

I wanted to tell the story cuz A: its kinda funny. B: i want to fix it before someone smashes a pelvis. C: i need to know if i need certification to repair it.. and i need to know where to look for a guide? il have a model # tomorrow.

id say where this is, but i'd be fired probly
  • Posted 21 Mar 2014 12:23
  • By immugio
  • joined 21 Mar'14 - 2 messages
  • Wisconsin, United States
Showing items 1 - 5 of 5 results.
Would it be as simple as the drive wheel assembly is turned around a 1/2 turn. I have seen this happen when repairs have been botched. Not on a Yale but many of these pallet movers are pretty similar. If this was the case the steering settings would probably need to be calibrated.
  • Posted 25 Apr 2014 16:05
  • By twoforks
  • joined 1 Nov'13 - 8 messages
  • Canterbury, New Zealand
He told the story because "it's kinda funny"- I don't understand people's humor sometimes. Hope his warped sense of humor didn't get him hurt. But- KARMA'S A B*TCH!
  • Posted 22 Apr 2014 23:53
  • By bbforks
  • joined 1 Mar'12 - 1,437 messages
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
ehhh....
he hasn't responded back yet...
i hope he wasn't the recipient of bad luck and the evil machine got him :oO
  • Posted 21 Apr 2014 20:58
  • By swoop223
  • joined 23 Mar'12 - 3,691 messages
  • North Carolina, United States
You've been swooped!
swoop223@gmail.com
if you have a dc powered truck (4 power cables to the drive motor), it may be as simple swapping 2 cables, but getting a model and serial number is very important for us to be able to give you the correct information.
When (not if) someone gets hurt from untrained people working on and driving the machine, your employer will be very bothered by the fines the government hits them with. Pallet trucks require operator training that includes instruction to not work on the machine unless properly trained, as per USC 1910.178 (the OSHA regulation that covers powered industrial truck operator training).
  • Posted 21 Mar 2014 20:11
  • By edward_t
  • joined 5 Mar'08 - 2,334 messages
  • South Carolina, United States
"it's not rocket surgery"
Sounds like a wire somewhere is in the wrong place.

Its either at the traction motor end OR up in the throttle housing, without knowing the truck details its difficult to say exactly.

You might find checking the traction motor wiring will reveal a wire in the wrong place IF they still have tags / numbers on.
  • Posted 21 Mar 2014 19:04
  • By Forkingabout
  • joined 31 Mar'11 - 862 messages
  • england, United Kingdom

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