Life is a Rodeo for these Forklift Champs Caught on Video

When you see a forklift on the news it’s usually not good news. As MH&L depicted in previous video galleries, forklifts have been used to rob ATMs and destroy warehouses. But recently, Wisconsin Lift Truck gave its local Fox affiliate, FOX6 News, reasons to be amazed by the skills of good forklift operation. The dealer hosted a forklift rodeo challenge at the PFMA’s Plant Engineering and Maintenance Expo March 12th, partnering with Steel King Industries and Storage Battery Systems.

The event, depicted in the first video of this gallery, was held at the Wisconsin Expo Center at State Fair Park with 4,800 Plant Engineers & Maintenance Managers attending. Fourteen drivers representing companies such as Arandell Corporation, Gaco Western, Color Ink, Wildeck Inc., Warehouse Specialists Inc., Prop Shaft Supply, Osmose Inc., Hot Water Products, etc. competed for the title of forklift rodeo champion.

Stage one of the competition began with slaloming an electric Mitsubishi FB16NT lift truck through an obstacle course with a pallet holding a cone and tennis ball. Other challenges in the course included a high-stack challenge as well as attempting to balance a pallet on top four cones. Stage two of the course required drivers to use an electric Linde E25PL to pick up basketballs with just their forks and shoot baskets into two different sized containers.
Each contestant’s time had 30 seconds added to it for any infraction. The driver with the shortest amount of time won. That driver was Bill Krivoshein from Arandell Corporation. He completed the course in 7:05, winning the grand prize of $500 cash and the rodeo champion plaque. Second place was Mark Karpinen of Osmose Inc. with a time of 7:23, winning a $100 gift card. Jason Wick of Color Ink came within seconds of Mark, taking third place and winning a $50 gift card with his time of 7:27.

The greatest lesson from this event?

“Driving a forklift may look easy, but driving one safely in a fast-paced operation requires the right training and expertise,” said David Hermann, safety director of Wisconsin Lift Truck. “The rodeo proved to be an excellent opportunity for drivers to showcase that expertise and bring focus to the importance of forklift safety and the material handling industry itself.”

The skills of these operators inspired MH&L to put together this gallery of highlights from other Forklift Rodeos, demonstrating unusual and inventive ways companies have tested the capabilities of their operators. You can watch them by advancing through the text windows to the right of the above image and clicking on the links in them. Enjoy.

(ED. NOTE: TO WATCH THESE VIDEOS, CLICK THE LINK IN THE TEXT BOX TO THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN IMAGE. NAVIGATE TO THE NEXT VIDEO USING THE ARROWS.)

View MH&L's other video galleries:

Videos on OSHA’s Top Violations

Physics-Flouting Forklifts Caught on Video

Dock Accidents by Land and Sea

Warehouse Disasters Caught on Video

Stupidity in the Warehouse Caught on Video

Bad Truck Drivers Caught on Video

See Who's Making Google-Glassed Eyes at Your Business

More Dumb Things People Do with Forklifts [VIDEO GALLERY]

Forklift Man Cages: Right and Wrong, Caught on Video

Life is a Rodeo for these Forklift Champs Caught on Video