Telehandler load chart explained: A pre-lift guide

A telehandler load chart is a permission map for one machine-and-attachment configuration—not a promise that the machine can carry its headline capacity anywhere. To use it, verify the exact chart, load weight and center, placement height, forward reach, boom position, and site conditions. Then confirm the whole planned lift stays within an allowed capacity zone.

If any input is unknown, the answer is not “close enough.” Stop the lift. This article helps a trained operator and lift planner organize the required information; it cannot authorize a real lift or replace the chart in the cab.

What a telehandler load chart tells you

Most telehandler charts combine several pieces of information:

• Vertical height, usually measured from the supporting surface
• Forward reach, often measured from the front face of the front tire
• Capacity zones, showing the maximum load allowed in each part of the operating envelope
• Boom angle lines and extension letters or marks, which connect the diagram to indicators on the machine
• Configuration notes, including the approved attachment, carriage, forks, stabilizer position, tires, and assumed load center

JLG’s load-capacity-chart guide explains that the grid relates height and reach to the machine’s operating envelope, while boom angle and extension markings help the operator stay within the selected zone.

That is different from a crane chart, which may organize ratings around operating radius, boom length, counterweight, and outrigger setup. Use our crane load chart guide only for crane-specific concepts—not as a substitute for a telehandler chart.

Start by matching the exact chart

Before reading a capacity number, compare the chart header and notes with the equipment in front of you. Record:

Match item	What to verify
Machine	Make, model, and serial-number applicability
Attachment	Type, model, weight, dimensions, and approval status
Load handling parts	Carriage, fork type, fork length, fork rating, and fork position
Setup	Stabilizers up or down, frame-level requirements, and approved tire specification
Chart basis	Units, stated load center, and every note or restriction

The current official Genie GTH-1056 operator’s manual, Part No. 1311461GT, for example, contains different charts for different carriages, fork arrangements, attachments, and stabilizer positions. That is why a chart copied from another GTH-1056—or a standard-carriage chart used with a truss boom—does not establish capacity for the actual setup.

JLG’s approved-attachment guidance says the attachment details and telehandler model must match the capacity chart. It also directs users not to use an attachment when the approval conditions are not met. “It fits the coupler” is not an approval method.

Verify the load weight and load center

Get load weight from a reliable source such as a supplier document, marked package, engineered takeoff, or approved weighing method. Include everything the applicable chart and manual require, which may include the attachment, fork-mounted device, rigging, or other load-handling components.

Next, locate the center of gravity and determine the load center using the definition and reference point in the exact manual. A long, uneven, or off-center load can move its center of gravity farther from the fork face and reduce usable capacity.

Many fork-carriage charts use a 24-inch horizontal load center, but that is not permission to assume every chart does. JLG publishes an equivalent-load method for certain applications beyond 24 inches. Use such a calculation only when the exact manufacturer documentation authorizes it and provides the procedure. Otherwise, contact the manufacturer or dealer for the correct chart and direction.

Measure height and forward reach

Measure the placement point using the same origins shown on the chart:

1. Record the vertical height to the load’s intended position.
2. Record the horizontal reach from the chart’s stated machine reference point to the load center at placement.
3. Check the approach, placement, and withdrawal path—not just the final point.

Do not estimate from floor levels or count boom sections from a distance. Obstructions may require more reach than the straight-line plan suggests, and settling or repositioning can change the geometry.

Find the capacity zone and use the lower-bound rule

Plot the required height and reach on the exact chart. The intersection must be inside the operating envelope and within a capacity zone that supports the verified load. Then note the boom-angle and extension limits associated with that zone.

If the point falls on a boundary between two capacity zones, use the lower capacity. JLG gives this instruction in its telehandler stability and chart-reading guidance.

The governing capacity is also the lowest applicable limit among the proper chart, attachment identification plate, forks, carriage, and machine rating. A higher number elsewhere does not override the lowest one.

Illustrative example only

Suppose a training diagram shows a verified load point on the line between a 5,000-pound zone and a 4,000-pound zone. For that exercise, the operator uses 4,000 pounds, then checks the boom angle and extension limits for that lower zone.

This example cannot authorize a lift. Its numbers are not tied to a real machine, attachment, chart, load center, or site. Use only the legible chart supplied for the actual configuration.

Confirm configuration and ground conditions

A chart value depends on its stated assumptions. Before lifting, confirm the operator manual and lift plan requirements for:

• Firm, stable ground with adequate support
• Machine level and permitted frame-level or stabilizer setup
• Correct tires, pressure, and condition
• Load centered and supported as required on the forks
• Wind and environmental limits
• Visibility, overhead hazards, exclusion zones, and pedestrian control
• A serviceable machine with a completed inspection

Use the ground conditions and equipment stability guide to organize surface observations, and record machine defects with the heavy-equipment pre-operation inspection. Neither page changes an OEM limit.

Telehandler pre-lift worksheet

Complete this record before the load moves. Blank or conflicting fields are stop signals.

Required input	Recorded value	Verified from
Machine model / serial applicability		Data plate and manual
Attachment / carriage / forks		IDs, ratings, and approval documentation
Correct chart present and legible		Cab chart identifier
Stabilizer and machine configuration		Chart and manual
Load weight		Supplier or approved source
Load center / center of gravity		Load data and manufacturer method
Target height		Site measurement
Maximum forward reach		Site measurement
Governing capacity zone		Exact chart
Boom angle / extension limits		Exact chart
Ground, level, tires, and weather		Site and equipment checks
Lift path and exclusion controls		Site-specific lift plan

After the worksheet is complete, a trained and authorized person still needs to apply the employer’s procedures and exact manual. For the wider machine-selection question, see the telehandler buying guide. For training responsibilities, start with the forklift certification guide.

Stop conditions: do not make the lift

Stop and resolve the issue when:

• The load weight or load center is unknown
• The chart is missing, illegible, damaged, or does not match the machine and attachment
• The attachment is unapproved or its rating cannot be verified
• A required configuration, tire, stabilizer, fork, or carriage detail differs from the chart
• The placement point or any part of the planned path is outside the allowed envelope
• The load exceeds the lower applicable capacity at a zone boundary
• Ground support, level, load stability, visibility, or weather falls outside the plan or manual limits
• The machine has an unresolved inspection defect or warning

OSHA 1926.602 requires rated capacity to be posted and not exceeded on construction lift trucks, and requires manufacturer approval for changes affecting capacity or safe operation. Its training rule points to the requirements in OSHA 1910.178(l), including instruction on attachments, capacity, stability, surface conditions, and operating limitations, plus practical training and workplace evaluation.

The decision in one sentence

Proceed only when the exact chart matches the complete configuration, every input is verified, the entire planned path remains in an allowed zone, and the load is below the lowest applicable limit. Otherwise, lower the load, choose a different approved setup or machine, or obtain manufacturer and site-plan direction before continuing.