Gehl develops new remote control boom controller

West Bend, Wis. -- Construction and agricultural equipment manufacturer Gehl Co. has developed a new product that allows a telescopic handler operator to control boom functions using a compact, wireless remote control pendant from outside the cab, or from within a personnel work platform. The hand-held pendant can be used to raise, lower, extend and retract the boom, and start and stop the engine.

"Our goal was to add a new dimension of functionality to the machine without overburdening it with cost or complexity. By combining the radio remote with the safety features found in our existing, easy-to-operate PWP system, we believe we have accomplished that goal," said Merrick Monaghan, engineer manager at Gehl.

The pendant/transmitter is waterproof and resistant to impacts encountered on jobsites. The solid-state unit has a proportional trigger control for controlling the speed of the boom.

The system uses "frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum" (FHSS) technology, which was initially developed for military applications. FHSS devices concentrate their signal power into a narrow band, which randomly hops from frequency to frequency within a designated radio band to prevent signal errors. Each transmitter uses a programmable, unique ID code to ensure that no two systems will conflict at a job site. Its radio transmission pattern, along with its error-checking techniques, enables its signal to overcome the interference that commonly affects licensed radios.