JLG Industries has launched the "Stability-Pro" dynamic stability management system for its next-generation 600AJ+ series articulating boom lifts. Traditional boom lifts calculate the maximum allowable working envelope using a static "derated load chart" that is pre-programmed for the worst-case ground condition-a soft, unleveled, or sloping surface. This conservative approach forces operators to reduce the boom's horizontal outreach and platform capacity even when the machine is parked on firm, level, engineered concrete, drastically limiting productivity in industrial facility maintenance where the full 38-foot horizontal outreach is required for reaching tall equipment.
The Stability-Pro system integrates "Dual-Axis MEMS Inclinometers" in the chassis frame and a "Strain-Gauge Load Cell Array" beneath each of the four wheel-contact points. The engineering innovation is the "Real-Time Ground Condition Classification." The system samples the chassis tilt (pitch and roll) and the individual wheel loads 50 times per second. From this data, it calculates the actual instantaneous tipping boundary-taking into account the machine's real center-of-gravity position, the boom's current extension geometry, and the actual ground contact condition.
If the system determines the machine is parked on firm, level ground with a low measured tilt angle, it dynamically expands the permissible working envelope to the full OEM-rated chart. If an operator drives onto a mild slope or onto soft ground where a wheel begins to unload (detected as a 15 percent reduction in wheel-load strain), the system progressively shrinks the working envelope in real-time-halting boom rotation and limiting telescoping before the tipping boundary is approached. The system also features "Dynamic Motion Lockout" that freezes all boom movements the instant a rapid tilt-rate change indicates the machine is starting to tip. This adaptive envelope management increases machine utilization by up to 30 percent on firm ground while maintaining or exceeding industry safety standards.
