AEM Promotes Consistent Terminology for Compact Tool Carriers

Walk-behind tool carriers have been on the market for nearly 30 years, but everyone still calls them something different — compact utility loaders, mini skid steers and mini tracks loaders (that’s just for starters). But the Association of Equipment Manufacturers wants some industry parity to assist equipment customers, and now is promoting consistent machine terminology in the marketplace, advancing the use of the term “compact tool carrier” to refer to these machines.

AEM’s Larry Buzecky notes that U.S. and international standards writing bodies are adopting the encompassing term. A proposed SAE standard on personnel protection defines a compact tool carrier as “a self-propelled crawler or wheeled machine having an operating mass of less than 1,400 kg with a rigid frame, having either a walk-behind operator position or standing operator platform at the rear of the machine and having either front-mounted interchangeable equipment or lift arms with an attachment bracket capable of coupling to interchangeable, front-mounted attachments.”

In September 2008 AEM produced a new safety manual covering compact tool carriers, in English and Spanish, and available from the AEM Store online at www.aem.org.

The AEM compact tool carrier manuals cover safe operating practices for compact tool carriers having either tracks or tires. Heavily illustrated with pictorials from AEM’s Pictorial Database, the manuals cover an entire cycle of safe operation, from preparing for safe operation through safe equipment shutdown and equipment maintenance. The manuals were developed with oversight from AEM’s Compact Tool Carrier Safety Manual Ad Hoc Committee, which helped guide the manual to production.

AEM produces a wide variety of safety and training materials for off-road equipment.

AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry. Its members produce equipment, products and services used worldwide in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors.