Side Loader training in Nottingham
A truck with the mast mounted sideways in a well, so timber, steel and pipe can be carried lengthways and stored in narrow aisles.
Photo: Seitenstapler .jpg by Bulmor, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
About side loaders
A side loader carries long loads along its own length on a flat deck. The mast sits in a well in the middle of the chassis and moves sideways on a carriage to pick a load from racking or a stack beside the truck, lift it, and bring it back onto the deck for travel. The operator then drives the truck forwards with the load lying across its deck, which is how a 12-metre length of steel gets down an aisle only a little wider than the truck.
They have been a fixture of the timber and steel trades for decades and remain the right tool for very long or very heavy sections where a four-way truck runs out of capacity. Baumann, Hubtex and Combilift all make them in diesel, LPG and electric versions, from compact indoor models to machines that handle 50-tonne steel coils.
The course covers the side-loading sequence and the stabilisers that most side loaders use, load security on the deck, the view the operator does and does not have of the load ends, and the discipline of narrow-aisle travel with a long load. Candidates often hold a counterbalance or four-way certificate and convert.
What the course covers
- Pre-use checks including mast carriage, deck, stabilisers and tyres
- The side-loading sequence: approach, stabilise, lift, retract and set down
- Load security on the deck and the use of load guides
- Travelling in narrow aisles with long loads
- Yard work, vehicle loading and unloading
- Refuelling or charging and shutdown
On site, on your truck, anywhere in Nottinghamshire
We bring an accredited instructor to your premises in Nottingham or any town in Nottinghamshire. You provide the truck and a safe working area; we provide the theory material, test papers and the HSE-recognised certificate. Novice Forklift Training, Semi-Experienced Forklift Training, Refresher Forklift Training, Conversion Forklift Training are all available for this truck.
Other truck categories
Counterbalance Forklift, Reach Truck, Double Deep Reach Truck, 4-Way (Multi-Directional) Reach Truck, VNA Truck (Man-Up and Man-Down), Bendi and Flexi (Articulated) Forklift, Pivot Steer Truck, Powered Pallet Truck, Pedestrian Stacker Truck, Telehandler (Telescopic Handler), Order Picker (Low, Medium and High Level), Rough Terrain (Masted) Counterbalance.
Side Loader training questions
Is a side loader the same category as a four-way truck?
No. A side loader has a sideways-mounted mast and carries loads across its deck; a four-way truck turns its wheels. They are separate certificates, though conversion between them is straightforward.
Do you cover electric side loaders?
Yes. The certificate is for side-loading lift trucks regardless of power source.
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