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Basic Machine Controls
Pre-operation discipline & fundamental handling
12 min read 11 scenarios · 80% to pass
Why this matters
Before any concert-specific hazard exists, the fundamentals have to be automatic. A skipped pre-op or a high-traveled load ends careers in a warehouse — let alone a packed arena floor at 2:00 AM.
Module briefing
01
Pre-Operation Inspection
Do this EVERY time. If any item fails — do not operate. Report it immediately.
- Tires — no cracks, properly inflated
- Forks or boom — no cracks, no bent tips
- Under the machine — no fluid leaks on the ground
- Seat belt — buckles and holds
- Mirrors — clean and adjusted
- Horn — press it, confirm it works
- Lights — all working
- Parking brake — set it, confirm the machine does not roll
Hard Rule· Grounding conditions
Cracked forks, a fluid leak under the machine, or a failed parking brake ground the machine immediately. There is no 'careful' workaround.
02
Mounting & Starting
- Always approach from the LEFT side
- Use the steps and handrails — never jump up or down
- Sit fully back, adjust to reach all pedals, buckle the seat belt EVERY time
- Confirm NEUTRAL, engage the parking brake before starting
- Key to start; let the engine warm 30–60 seconds before moving
- Test horn (one tap), brakes (gentle), hydraulics (raise/lower forks slightly)
03
Main & Telehandler Controls
Sit-down forklift: steering wheel, accelerator and brake (right foot), parking brake, mast lift lever (pull back = up), mast tilt lever (pull back = tilt back / safer), side-shift, and horn.
Telehandler-specific: boom lift, boom extend / retract, boom tilt (fork angle at the end of the boom), outriggers for tall lifts, and steering modes (2-wheel, 4-wheel, crab).
04
The Load Cycle
Pick up · Travel · Place — the same disciplined sequence every time.
- Approach straight on, stop ~1 ft from the load, lower forks to entry height, level them
- Drive forward slowly until forks are fully under the load; lift just to clear the ground
- Tilt back slightly for stability; reverse slowly away
- Travel with the load LOW (4–8 inches), tilted slightly back, slow, looking in your direction of travel
- Honk before intersections or blind corners
- Place: approach straight on, raise to height, lower gently until stable, tilt forward to release, back away and confirm stability
Tour Reality· Travel low or don't travel
On a load-in floor crowded with stagehands, a load carried high is a blind battering ram. 4–8 inches, tilted back — non-negotiable.
05
If It Starts To Go Over
The machine will lose. Your only job is to stay inside the cage. Read this before you ever need it — there is no time to think it through when it happens.
- STAY IN THE SEAT. Do not jump. This is the whole lesson.
- Grip the wheel firmly — brace, do not push yourself up out of the seat.
- Brace your feet against the floor or pedals.
- LEAN AWAY from the direction of the fall — into the seat, toward the high side.
- Ride it out. The overhead guard and the belt are engineered to hold the survival space around you.
Hard Rule· Jumping is what kills operators
The instinct is to leap clear. Operators who follow it land in the path of the overhead guard as it comes down, and it crushes them. A tipping forklift falls faster than a person can get out of it. The seat belt is not there for collisions — it is there to keep you from being thrown into the arc of a falling machine. This is why you buckle it for the 'short hop' too.
06
Refueling, LP Cylinders & Battery Charging
Concert fleets run propane indoors and electric where they can. Changing a bottle or putting a machine on charge is part of operating it.
- Shut the engine down before refueling or changing an LP cylinder. No smoking, no open flame, no pyro nearby.
- LP cylinders: close the service valve and let the engine run out the line before disconnecting. Liquid propane causes instant frostbite — wear gloves and keep your face clear of the fitting.
- Seat the replacement cylinder on its locating pin so the pressure-relief valve points UP. A bottle mounted upside down vents liquid instead of vapour.
- Leak-check the connection by ear and nose before restarting. If you smell gas, stop — do not crank the engine.
- Battery charging: ventilate the area. Charging lead-acid batteries release hydrogen, which is explosive. No smoking or sparks near a charging bank; keep the connector clean and never break a live connection under load.
- Battery acid burns. Eye protection to top up cells, and know where the eyewash station is before you need it.
Hard Rule· Relief valve points up
The single most common LP mistake on a load-in is seating the bottle wrong in the dark. The locating pin only fits one way and the relief valve must point upward. Get it wrong and a relief event sprays liquid propane instead of venting vapour.
07
Fuel, Pyro & Classified Locations
A concert site has flammable atmospheres a warehouse never does.
Areas where flammable vapour, gas, or combustible dust may be present are 'classified locations', and they require a truck approved for that classification. A standard Class 4/5 internal-combustion lift is NOT approved for them.
On a show site that means: the pyro storage and loading area, the fuel bowser and generator refuelling point, and any enclosed space where solvent, fog fluid, or fuel vapour can collect.
You do not get to judge this by eye. If an area is placarded, taped, or marshalled by the pyro tech or fuel crew, the machine does not enter until the person responsible for that zone clears it — and only if the truck is rated for it.
Hard Rule· Pyro zone is not a shortcut
The pyro cage is often near the stage-left dock and it is always tempting as a route. An ignition source driving through a classified area is how a load-in becomes a fatality. Route around it, every time.
Deliberate Practice
Interactive Scenario Trainer
Begin Interactive Scenarios
11 real situations from the floor. Type your decision — the trainer grades it against the named technique and gives you instructor-level feedback. Pass mark: 80%.