Abstract: A personnel carrying vehicle comprises a self propelled, steerable body, a telescoping mast attached to and extending upwardly from the body, and a personnel compartment attached to the mast. Two control handles are mounted within the personnel compartment, with one handle including a rocker mechanism mounted therein for pivotal movement within a generally horizontal plane to control steering and the other handle being rotated to controlling traction. Sensors ensure that the operator's hands are on both control handles and both feet are properly positioned on a floor of the operator's compartment before the vehicle can be moved or the platform raised; this ensures a four point stance, providing for operator stability and that the operator's hands and feet are within the operator's compartment anytime the vehicle is being moved or during lifting or lowering operations.

Abstract: A work assist vehicle includes a self propelled, steerable body having a chassis and a drive mechanism supported on the chassis; a mast assembly coupled to the body; and, a personnel compartment attached to the mast assembly and being movable by the mast assembly toward and away from the body. The body further includes a cover adapted to extend over a portion of the chassis and a weight sensor assembly coupled to the chassis and the cover. The weight sensor assembly is capable of detecting if someone or something is located on the cover.

Abstract: An electrical circuit for controlling the tilting of a mast assembly and the lifting of the fork of materials handling vehicles avoids the previously required extra control manipulations while continuing to maintain the safety standards for this type of vehicle. Electromechanical relays or their equivalent are employed to recall whether the tilt limit switch or the height limit switch was first actuated and allows the function associated therewith to continue even though other limit switch is subsequently actuated, thus reducing the number of control operations required during typical vehicle operations. The circuit senses whether both limit switches have been actuated when the vehicle is first powered up, and if so, then one of the limit switches must first be deactuated before either function is permitted to continue either forward or upward, thereby insuring that the vehicle will not be operated beyond predetermined safety limits.