Lift for skids and pallets

A lift comprising:

• a carrier frame with a vertical mast;
• a carriage with a pair of forks projecting forward for engagement of a pallet or skid, said carriage being movable up and down the vertical mast;
• a limit switch for stopping a movement of said carriage at a transition point between a range of lowered positions and a range of raised positions of the carriage along the vertical mast;
• a pair of retractable outriggers attached to the carrier frame, said outriggers being movable from a stored position, wherein the outriggers are removed from contact with an underlying surface supporting the lift, to a deployed position wherein the outriggers contact the surface and support a front side of the lift as the carriage moves up the vertical mast from said transition point;
• a frame rolling assembly attached to the carrier frame for transporting the lift over the surface;
• a handle attached to the frame rolling assembly for maneuvering the lift;
• and
• a processor and a control panel on the lift for manually controlling an operation of the carriage and the retractable outriggers;
• wherein each of said forks includes a carriage rolling assembly pivotally movable between an extended position and a retracted position as a result of a cam affixed to the carrier and a follower connected to the carriage;
• the carriage is movable between said range of lowered positions, wherein the carriage rolling assembly contacts said underlying surface, and said range of raised positions wherein the carriage rolling assembly no longer contacts the underlying surface;
• and said outriggers are moved to the deployed position when the carriage rolling assembly in each fork reaches said extended position.

A method of operating a lift comprising the following steps

• providing a lift that includes a carrier with a vertical mast;
• a carriage with a pair of forks projecting forward for engagement of a pallet or skid, said carriage being movable up and down the vertical mast;
• a pair of retractable outriggers attached to the carrier frame, said outriggers being movable from a stored position, wherein the outriggers are removed from an underlying surface supporting the lift, to a deployed position wherein the outriggers contact the surface and support a front side of the lift as the carriage moves up the vertical mast;
• and a frame rolling assembly attached to the carrier frame for transporting the lift over the surface;
• moving the lift to engage a pallet or a skid while the carriage is at a lowermost position along the vertical mast;
• raising the carriage to a transition point between a range of lowered positions and a range of raised positions of the carriage along the vertical mast;
• deploying the outriggers from said stored position to said deployed position;
• further raising the carriage to a work height within said range of raised positions;
• and
• maneuvering the lift at a work site.