To crane or not to crane

Yea, nothing worse than sitting in the seat of a crane on a big pick and a wind gust pops up that the radar never showed or the lighting storm.. Or like the jobsite we were at a couple of weeks ago on the first lift, a tad over 74k he lifts it and the outrigger pad on the right front starts to sink in the ground...
I have seen 2 times in my life when they have had to do a quick emergency drop.. Not a fun site to see or hear.

 

That wheeled load I posted yesterday was part of a crusher, weighed 22k lbs. They had a 336 to unload me but someone smart enough realized it probably wasn't strong enough to lift it on its own. So we hooked up a chain to it and the excavator, so I can tilt my bed and he can guide it down with the excavator.

Well I have a patch welded on my bed where the welder was lazy and just tack welded it so there is a 1/2" bump. Well after trying to get it for 5+ minutes, I offer my suggestion which was declined.

So super operator decides to take over and jump in the operator seat. I step further back as he decides to lift it up with a 3/8's chain. I about #### myself / busted out laughing when after it dropped it bounced one of the two guys standing on the top of the rollback bed literally off the bed and onto the ground.

I do a lot of #### that probably doesn't pass osha standards but I'm super respectful of the equipment I'm running and the weight of what I'm trying to move. Chains aren't approved for lifting but it's because idiots think hard steel is tough without realizing everything has their limits.

 

Yes, there are lifting chains and tie down chains
Two different types of chain..
Have I used tie down chains to lift.. Yes,but within reason

 

I think oiler is "Rigger 1" here now, gave it a fancy name & get "certified" to be a helper. With the new rules in WA you have to have XXX hours here & XXX hours there within so many months before you can test to move up the ladder and then XXX hours every XX months to keep it- may have changed since I got out though, it's been awhile.

I sold 2 of my cranes to a testing outfit that was moving into Washington when the rules changed, they didn't haggle the price because they made so much off the testing & I got a nice Kenworth & lowboy with the profit. Win-win.

 

Especially if the truck or trailer is still underneath.

 

True, Don. It happened with a guy who was leased where I was years ago. He had their first new 13 axle and a ld. got dropped on it. Ld. was about a foot up off the deck... It went back to the factory...
Sad thing was the trl. was about 8 months old
Nobody got hurt.
You would be surprised to see how far into the ground a wind tower base will implant into the ground when a emergency drop happens from apx. 20 feet in the air..
That one was at a jobsite in Ia..
We were coming onto the pad road and we were watching them pick it off the ground and getting ready to set it on the bolts at the pad.
Crane had it lifted and turning when all of a sudden, it looked like the crane was sinking.
He dropped it. Went into the ground at an angle... Kinda looked like the leaning tower of Pisa... Seems they forgot to compact the pad after they back filled it, after pouring and curing concrete. He was sitting on crane matts and they started to sink at an angle

 

How come?

 

To some sitting in a seat looking forward and up watching piece move around tends to mess with your mind
You need to learn to adjust on that
Sometimes not easy, but that's just my thoughts

 

I don't know Johndeere4020's reason, but when I used to run crane I found that the work was either boring as can be waiting for the next pick, or as stressful as any job that I have had.

Indeed, looking up the boom with clouds floating by can cause vertigo with some folks.