2025.12.14 – When a JLG EC600SJP Would Not Drive: Two Safety Systems, One Stuck Machine

Key Takeaways

The short version

• The JLG EC600SJP boom lift could raise and rotate the boom, but drive stayed blocked because safety logic said “stop.”
• Code 2211 “FSW INTERLOCK TRIPPED” points to the platform footswitch timing out when no function is taken quickly.
• When the turret swings far around the chassis, the drive orientation system can pause drive and steer until direction is confirmed.

Story & Details

A lift that could do almost everything

By December fourteen, two thousand twenty-five, the incident had already been resolved, but the pattern is worth keeping in mind. A JLG EC600SJP could lift, telescope, swing, and use the jib with no trouble. Then it was asked to travel, and it would not move.

The display showed 2211 “FSW INTERLOCK TRIPPED.” FSW means footswitch. On this kind of Mobile Elevating Work Platform, the pedal in the basket is not just a pedal. It is the gate that lets the controls “wake up.” If the pedal stays down and no real function is taken within the short enable window, the machine can drop the enable state and refuse movement until the pedal cycle is reset.

The setting added a complication. The platform panel and controls were wet. Water does not have to be dramatic to matter. A damp switch, a wet connector, or a shaky signal can make a simple interlock feel like a deep failure.

The surprise detail: the turret was turned around

Later, a clearer physical clue appeared. The upper structure, also called the turret, had been rotated about one hundred eighty degrees from normal travel orientation. In that position, the machine would not drive. When the turret was brought back to a forward travel position, drive worked again.

That behavior matches the drive orientation system used on many JLG boom lifts. When the boom is swung beyond the rear drive tires, joystick “forward” might not be chassis-forward. The machine warns the operator and can hold drive and steer until the operator confirms the true direction of travel. The platform control box has a small drive orientation override button, commonly marked with a chassis-and-arrow symbol. The confirmation is time-limited. The operator uses the button, then moves the drive/steer controller in the direction that matches the real forward direction of the chassis. The black-and-white orientation arrows on the chassis and on the platform controls help make that match.

This also explains why the lockout can feel inconsistent. When rotation is modest, the machine may still drive normally. The hard “no” tends to show up once swing passes a defined zone around the rear, where wrong-way travel is most likely.

A note on names: boom lift, MEWP, and “cherry picker”

Many people call a machine like this a “cherry picker.” In everyday speech, that usually means a work platform with a basket that goes up on a boom. It is common, but it is not precise. The precise terms here are boom lift and MEWP, and the model name is JLG EC600SJP.

A tiny Dutch mini-lesson for the jobsite

Two short Dutch lines can help in a workshop moment.

Sentence: Het voetpedaal werkt niet.
Simple use: Said when the foot pedal does not work.
Word-by-word: Het = the (neuter); voetpedaal = foot pedal; werkt = works; niet = not.
Tone: plain and practical.

Sentence: De rijrichting is omgekeerd.
Simple use: Said when travel direction feels reversed.
Word-by-word: De = the (common); rijrichting = driving direction; is = is; omgekeerd = reversed.
Tone: matter-of-fact; common in troubleshooting talk.

Conclusions

One symptom, two gatekeepers

This case shows a classic surprise: a boom lift can feel healthy in the air and still be immovable on the ground. One “stop” can come from a footswitch enable window that has lapsed. Another can come from drive orientation logic when the turret is swung far around the chassis. Put together, they explain why an EC600SJP can lift, swing, and place the platform with confidence—yet refuse to roll until the machine and operator agree on direction.

Selected References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ob2Sp_vXL0
[2] https://csapps.jlg.com/OnlineManuals/Manuals/JLG/JLG%20Boom%20Lifts/E_M600J_JP/Operation%20Manuals/SN%200300000100%20to%200300219229/Operation_3121217_03-09-2016_Global_English.pdf
[3] https://www.jlg.com/en/directaccess/how-to-activate-the-awp-drive-orientation-system
[4] https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/mewp.htm

Appendix

Clear term notes, A–Z

Boom lift: A mobile work-at-height machine with a powered boom and a small platform, built to lift people and tools to a job position.

Cherry picker: An informal nickname for a work platform with a basket, often a boom lift, but not a precise equipment class.

Drive orientation indicator: A signal light that warns the boom is swung into a position where joystick direction may not match the chassis direction.

Drive orientation override: A button or switch on the platform controls used to confirm direction so drive and steer can be enabled during an orientation warning.

Drive orientation system: A safety feature that can hold drive and steer when the boom is swung beyond the rear drive tires until direction is confirmed.

Footswitch: The platform pedal that enables machine functions; if the enable window lapses, the pedal must be cycled to re-enable control.

FSW: Short form used for the footswitch in fault and control language.

Interlock: A control condition that blocks a function until a safety requirement is met.

Jib: The short outer boom section near the platform that helps with fine positioning.

MEWP: Short for Mobile Elevating Work Platform, a broad term for machines that lift people to work at height.

Platform: The basket area where the operator stands and uses the main controls.

Stow position: A travel-ready posture with the boom lowered and retracted, the jib folded, and the turret aligned for transport.

Turret: The rotating upper structure that slews around the chassis and changes how “forward” feels at the controls.