Your first-day checklist

Your manufacturer's manual prevails. This sheet gives the order of the steps; every figure must be read in your own manual, as it changes from one model to the next.

1. 1

   On delivery

   • Walk around it BEFORE you sign
   • ARTICULATION LOCK present and workable
   • Lift-arm brace present
   • Tyres: wear, pressure, valves
2. 2

   Unloading

   • Firm level ground, well clear of edges
   • ARTICULATION LOCK FITTED for transport
   • Bucket low, arms down
   • Once loaded: chock and lash down
3. 3

   Before the first start

   • All fluid levels, machine on level ground
   • Tyre pressures — they carry everything
   • Find the articulation lock and the brace
   • Belt, mirrors, reversing alarm
4. 4

   First start

   • Seated, belt on
   • ARTICULATION LOCK REMOVED before driving
   • ≈ 5 min at idle before loading
   • Dry run in a clear space
5. 5

   What kills

   • The ARTICULATION AREA: it shears
   • Going under raised arms without the brace
   • Driving with the bucket high: the machine turns unstable
   • Raising or dropping a loaded bucket sharply
6. 6

   Day to day

   • Carry the load LOW when travelling
   • Nobody within the articulation area with the engine running
   • Never a passenger, never anyone in the bucket
   • Arms on the ground before you climb down