What's a "high lift?"

[bcp]

I haven't heard the term in the NW.

Several news articles mentioned using high-lifts and snowplows to clear streets in the NE US.

One "high-lift" picture showed an articulated wheel loader loading dump trucks. Another with a "high-lift" caption showed an excavator loading a truck.

Google images doesn't help.

snow high-lift photos

Bruce

 

[LD1]

I have not heard that term here in the midwest either

 

[tow653]

A high lift around here refers to a tracked loader with a bucket rather than a blade,which makes it a bull dozer. Think a Cat 933 is an example.it is just looked up.

 

[bcp]

The first article calls it a truck, another a payloader or a front-loader
====================
Buffalo News-Nov 19, 2014
The town contracted for special high-lift trucks coming from the Albany area. ... The trucks will be used 24 hours a day to load the snow and then ...
=============
Bee news.com-Nov 20, 2014
Most of the neighborhood was still buried in snow at this time. ... We are using high-lift [plows] to punch through the roads, and the plow trucks ...
========
Buffalo News-Nov 21, 2014
That glimpse of sunlight didn't last long as the snow returned with a fury ... no cars stranded, then a high-lift and then a plow go down the street.
===========
Buffalo News-Nov 29, 2014
With the ferocious storm dropping snow at a rate of 4, 5, even 6 inches ... The Wegmans high-lift driver steered the giant payloader down to the ...
=============
Albany Times Union-Nov 23, 2014
But the ocean of snow seemed to be starting to subside Friday as high-lift front-loaders were able to make at least one if not two passes through ...

 

[RedNeckRacin]

High-lifts are either the articulating loaders or track loaders. (Lots of strip mining used to be around this area.)

 

[nybirdman]

We call them "Pay-loaders " in our area.Used to load large dump trucks.Lots of farmers use them for feed uses.

 

[Wasted Income]

The "correct" nomenclature per my employer is "wheel loader" and "track loader".

 

[bcp]

This what I though a "high lift" would be when I asked the question, since one of the first articles I saw called it a truck.

Dump truck with loader would be most similar to a plow dump truck, but would lift the snow over into the bed instead push it to the side.



Bruce

 

[Bradbilt]

A Hi Lift to me is a JLG man lift
Object moved

 

[bcp]

A Hi Lift to me is a JLG man lift
Object moved

Looks awkward for plowing, but it would let the operator see over the top of the snow.

Bruce

 

[Rustyiron]

I believe that the term is for a "wheel loader" that is configured with a "high lift" boom that is different from the std. boom that may be, in capacity, breakout force, durability etc. the best for all around use. You can visually tell the difference in the loader arms and how far ahead of the machine they are vs. the std arms.

 

[JJZ 109]

When I was in construction in the 80's, we had a couple of old Lull all terrain forklifts that we'd use to set cubes of block up on 3 or 4 jumps of scaffolding. Kind of similar to today's telehandlers. We called those high lifts.

 

[eddiebroadway]

I work for a Municipality and the wing plow toe and heel posts on our plow trucks can be ordered either standard or "High Lift" The High Lift posts allow us to "Shelf" the snow banks after the storm to allow for the next round of snow to be pushed up on top.

 

[AaronS]

A high lift around here refers to a tracked loader with a bucket rather than a blade,which makes it a bull dozer. Think a Cat 933 is an example.it is just looked up.

That's what we use the term for here also.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

It's a bra the brings her .... oh never mind.

 

[milligjg]

A dozer with a bucket that lifts "high" :laughing: Cat 953, 963, etc

 

[bigtiller]

A dozer with a bucket rather than a blade is a "tracked loader" to me.

A "high lift" could be anything that lifts something/someone high.

 

[vtsnowedin]

The most likely thing is the reporter just misunderstood and got it all mixed up.
There are "hi lift plows" The ones you see on state plow trucks that are about two feet high on the centerline side of the plow and four and a half feet high on the snowbank discharge side. There made that way to get the snow up and over guardrail which is about three feet high.
Another possibility is a snow blower built to lift snow high enough to discharge down into full sized dump truck bodies which are about twelve feet high so the top of the discharge chute would have to be about fifteen feet high.
https://www.wausau-everest.com/models/wave-one-way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zt-8bKrCCzM

 

[bcp]

Here it is again:

From:
Erie County DPW Gears Up For Winter Weather, Plowing

The four new all-wheel drive trucks will be added to two already in Erie County’s snow removal fleet. These trucks are essential for operations in the hill country and in southern Erie County where snows are typically heavier. In addition, these trucks can be used throughout the year, rather than the “winter-only” all-wheel drive vehicles purchased in years past. A new high lift was also purchased along with the five new trucks, bringing the total investment in snow-removal equipment to nearly $1.4 million.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Well they seem to think everybody should know what it is and from the first articles quoted it sounds like they have just renamed articulating wheel loaders as high lifts. Sounds kind of childish to me but local customs often trump standard English.