CraneMechanic73
Well-Known Member
No neoprenes under outriggers, no barricade tape, no Hard hats…… safety pretty out the window. Typical!
Other than protecting the concrete finish what is the purpose of using neoprene?As for the "neoprenes", we were working on concrete that's had loaded semis driving over it for the last 50 years, at a radius of about 40' and a 900 pound load, so I didn't and still don't see the need. I sure can't control who wears a hard hat either. But you are correct, this is typical of a lot of job sites in these parts.
I was teamed up with this otherView attachment 306243 rig the other day at a fertilizer plant, both of us way out of our usual work areas. Thinking at first we'd be working up high, I asked him how much stick he had, 127' was his answer. Getting bored a couple hours later, I googled his rig and it's 103', seems a funny thing to not know or to fib about. The op was just a hired hand, I'd guess he just didn't know or confused it with another rig, would have been a pisser though to find out if he came up short, turns out we were working low anyway. Then I noticed the sheave wheel at the top of the boom was missing, the one that keeps the winch line off the boom. plus the guides and plastic wear points mid way, all gone. I thought about bringing it to his attention, but never did, he probably knew and didn't care was my best guess.
If you are talking about the little wheel toward the top of the base section, very few boom trucks have them, or the roller guides on top of the base section.. Then I noticed the sheave wheel at the top of the boom was missing, the one that keeps the winch line off the boom. plus the guides and plastic wear points mid way, all gone
That left a mark! Do you know what they were lifting? Would insurance cover that?
I know there are people that do it all the time and for John it probably helps that its his own crew cutting the trees. As a construction guy with cranes I've had some tree guys ask if I would do tree work but I ve always turned it down. I just don't trust them even though I probably could I just don't like the idea of it.
I just remember watching a YouTube video a few years ago, I think it was "guilty of treeson". They had a brand new national 55L out on its first job. It was a tall pine/cedar looking tree. The first thing they did was the boom truck was about 20' too short for the tree they were cutting, mind you they have 151' of boom but they just hooked a strap to the bottom of the top 30' and cut it off and give it a big old swing. It was light and probably didn't really hurt anything but that wouldn't fly with me. Then as they're cutting they get down to the big trunk pieces which is probably still 40'+ some feet in the air. I can't remember the exact numbers but it was like 75'-80' radius and they had a capacity of like 5000lbs. But the pieces they were cutting were like 4500lbs. That to me would be way to close to the limit with a guy strapped to the tree cutting. Maybe they're that experienced and knew exactly where to cut but that close to the limit how easy would it be to be off 500lbs. I'm sure not every crew is like that but to me there's just too many unknowns and not worth the risk.
Given the way people drive-truck or car, nothing shocking there.Those things can't be that top heavy. Can't be any worse than an excavator up on a tag trailer.
Made a tow to La Grande today speed limit for trucks on I84--65-----average speed today hoveredDrove a few as a wrench, design built cranes roll some, these beasts roll as if on a skate edge and at not much speed or cut of turn.