crane operator
Senior Member
Just thought I post up some pics of what I've been up to. Sorry about the sideways pics, I tried rotating them in windows, but it didn't stick.
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Just some work pics
- Thread starter crane operator
- Start date
crane operator
Senior Member
more pics
Little foggy
our high rise project
units at a school
little rt action setting trusses
Little foggy
our high rise project
units at a school
little rt action setting trusses
crane operator
Senior Member
few more
Right by the tree, but with a view
Tag team
Sign Work
Boom way down over there
Right by the tree, but with a view
Tag team
Sign Work
Boom way down over there
crane operator
Senior Member
Just a few more
I'm not as close to those power lines as it looks, but I don't like even being that close, I'd prefer the lines in the next county (I'm within a booms swing of them, but I never got within 20') There was no other access.
Water tank swap out. One of the few times a year I use two lines
Me and Al tandem setting a few top out columns
The very top columns had 1" caps welded on them, and big tall horizontals for x bracing. I stood the column with the rt. Al placed the horizontal tie in with the 70 ton.
I'm not as close to those power lines as it looks, but I don't like even being that close, I'd prefer the lines in the next county (I'm within a booms swing of them, but I never got within 20') There was no other access.
Water tank swap out. One of the few times a year I use two lines
Me and Al tandem setting a few top out columns
The very top columns had 1" caps welded on them, and big tall horizontals for x bracing. I stood the column with the rt. Al placed the horizontal tie in with the 70 ton.
ichudov
Senior Member
Very nice pictures. I was doing this the other day:
https://www.machinerymoverschicago.com/blog/Craning-and-Moving-CNC-Stone-Saw/
https://www.machinerymoverschicago.com/blog/Craning-and-Moving-CNC-Stone-Saw/
Attachments
Nice pics crane op.
Looks like your business is pretty close to what we do.
Looks like you have some nice old groves. The first crane I ran day after day was a tms200a. Basically a tms250 with 6x6. I could tape an ink pen to the hook and sign my name with that old girl.😄 I loved that thing. To this day the smoothest crane I've ever been in.
Looks like your business is pretty close to what we do.
Looks like you have some nice old groves. The first crane I ran day after day was a tms200a. Basically a tms250 with 6x6. I could tape an ink pen to the hook and sign my name with that old girl.😄 I loved that thing. To this day the smoothest crane I've ever been in.
crane operator
Senior Member
Thanks guys here's some older pics
Light poles at a ballfield
Roller coaster maintenance
Light poles at a ballfield
Roller coaster maintenance
crane operator
Senior Member
more pics
This was a great spot to set up in. .
Back up the hill, stop and hope the brakes hold
Start it up on jacks and hope it doesn't start sliding down the pavement.
Boom down over each rear corner/ teter tottering to get enough blocks under the front.
We were adding rocks to the retaining wall below and to the side of me on the cliff, then trees and mulch.
This was a great spot to set up in. .
Back up the hill, stop and hope the brakes hold
Start it up on jacks and hope it doesn't start sliding down the pavement.
Boom down over each rear corner/ teter tottering to get enough blocks under the front.
We were adding rocks to the retaining wall below and to the side of me on the cliff, then trees and mulch.
crane operator
Senior Member
70 ton setting gang panels this winter
Always fun if the wind is blowing
RT in the hole. We let it down in there with the winch truck, then winched it back out when done
I could have driven it out, I could catch the winch truck with the throttle. I was concerned that if a driveline broke, I'd have been in real trouble.
Always fun if the wind is blowing
RT in the hole. We let it down in there with the winch truck, then winched it back out when done
I could have driven it out, I could catch the winch truck with the throttle. I was concerned that if a driveline broke, I'd have been in real trouble.
crane operator
Senior Member
Nice little truss job
Golf course irrigation pump. We transfered the 20,000lb pump skid back over the hill there 1/2 mile from the 18 wheeler. Tandem ford to haul it down through the creek. Was able to drive over there, got stuck going back through the creek with the crane. Rear outrigger boxes hung up.
Earlier on at our condo building
Those first few trusses were fun over top of the big oak. tms 250 with all of it 80' main,26' jib, 20'pull out stinger
Golf course irrigation pump. We transfered the 20,000lb pump skid back over the hill there 1/2 mile from the 18 wheeler. Tandem ford to haul it down through the creek. Was able to drive over there, got stuck going back through the creek with the crane. Rear outrigger boxes hung up.
Earlier on at our condo building
Those first few trusses were fun over top of the big oak. tms 250 with all of it 80' main,26' jib, 20'pull out stinger
crane operator
Senior Member
Tradesman- I don't know about wanting to be in my shoes- there's days I wish I only had 1 crane, and I just ran it myself. I find myself less and less able to run crane, and spend more time on the phone.
Knepptune- Sounds our businesses are similar- Except neither one of us know what we're doing next. Its always something different. I don't know how many calls we get "we've tried everything else, maybe you need to come look at this", or "We've got no idea how to do this- think you can?" We're like the method of last resort. Also I'll agree, few rigs are as smooth as a old Grove. Its funny though- I have two tms250's, and I love to run the white colored one, I hate my yellow one. The guy who runs the yellow one is the opposite- he doesn't like the white one. I don't know what I'll do when he retires- I suppose shove someone else in it. I'm not letting them run the little white one.
Ichudov-You're really getting the hang of that old grove, its a ball of fun isn't it?
CM1995- I look at your dirt projects and sometimes think- I could get a backhoe and a excavator, maybe one of those track loaders you guys are always bragging about, its just pushing around dirt. It's all at your feet, not 100' away. Not flying stuff over houses, cars, and trees. Not worrying about punching through a parking lot, or someone misquoting a weight by 100%. And lordy my insurance bill.
But what you do isn't just pushing dirt around. Its bidding, blueprints, general contractors looking to use you as their banker. Grade, slope, underground utilities,locates. Deliveries, schedules, truckers, demo boxes. Rain, mud, wash outs, do we quit at this site, load it all up, and then come back. I get to show up on a site-and it makes no difference to me how long it takes- I'm getting paid from the time I leave the shop, till I get back. The truck is late- oh well. Your parts aren't fitting right? oh that's too bad. I don't have a bid $ or deadline to meet.
A customer of mine, just got a new owner who was a bean counter. The old owner had been in their business for years, new owner knows nothing except $. We were talking about it in the shop, how one of the worst things is when the boss doesn't really know what he's doing. The employee's know, the customers find out, and it seldom works out.
On the other hand - what we do isn't really brain surgery, we pick stuff up and put it down, in the same way that dirt work- is just pushing dirt around. The difficult things are getting there, setting up, rigging, truck placement,etc. The easy part is the picking up and putting down (just like painting- its all prep work) Anyone can learn it, it just takes time. (Brain surgery isn't probably really brain surgery either, its just cutting people open and sewing them back up, doctors do it all the time)
This however- is the bad side of all my old cranes-and probably the least fun part- repair
Boom disassembly for my 70 ton Piston seal repair last winter
Boom disassembly for my 25 ton- we just got to do this one twice in four days- I folded a backer onto a oring the first time around. Full day an 1/2 to tear it all back apart and put it back together again, I did squeeze in a job (secretly hoping the leak was just residue in the boom, it wasn't) We're finishing putting it back in tomorrow- hope I got it right this time.
Knepptune- Sounds our businesses are similar- Except neither one of us know what we're doing next. Its always something different. I don't know how many calls we get "we've tried everything else, maybe you need to come look at this", or "We've got no idea how to do this- think you can?" We're like the method of last resort. Also I'll agree, few rigs are as smooth as a old Grove. Its funny though- I have two tms250's, and I love to run the white colored one, I hate my yellow one. The guy who runs the yellow one is the opposite- he doesn't like the white one. I don't know what I'll do when he retires- I suppose shove someone else in it. I'm not letting them run the little white one.
Ichudov-You're really getting the hang of that old grove, its a ball of fun isn't it?
CM1995- I look at your dirt projects and sometimes think- I could get a backhoe and a excavator, maybe one of those track loaders you guys are always bragging about, its just pushing around dirt. It's all at your feet, not 100' away. Not flying stuff over houses, cars, and trees. Not worrying about punching through a parking lot, or someone misquoting a weight by 100%. And lordy my insurance bill.
But what you do isn't just pushing dirt around. Its bidding, blueprints, general contractors looking to use you as their banker. Grade, slope, underground utilities,locates. Deliveries, schedules, truckers, demo boxes. Rain, mud, wash outs, do we quit at this site, load it all up, and then come back. I get to show up on a site-and it makes no difference to me how long it takes- I'm getting paid from the time I leave the shop, till I get back. The truck is late- oh well. Your parts aren't fitting right? oh that's too bad. I don't have a bid $ or deadline to meet.
A customer of mine, just got a new owner who was a bean counter. The old owner had been in their business for years, new owner knows nothing except $. We were talking about it in the shop, how one of the worst things is when the boss doesn't really know what he's doing. The employee's know, the customers find out, and it seldom works out.
On the other hand - what we do isn't really brain surgery, we pick stuff up and put it down, in the same way that dirt work- is just pushing dirt around. The difficult things are getting there, setting up, rigging, truck placement,etc. The easy part is the picking up and putting down (just like painting- its all prep work) Anyone can learn it, it just takes time. (Brain surgery isn't probably really brain surgery either, its just cutting people open and sewing them back up, doctors do it all the time)
This however- is the bad side of all my old cranes-and probably the least fun part- repair
Boom disassembly for my 70 ton Piston seal repair last winter
Boom disassembly for my 25 ton- we just got to do this one twice in four days- I folded a backer onto a oring the first time around. Full day an 1/2 to tear it all back apart and put it back together again, I did squeeze in a job (secretly hoping the leak was just residue in the boom, it wasn't) We're finishing putting it back in tomorrow- hope I got it right this time.
CM1995
Administrator
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- Location
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- Running what I brung and taking what I win
Crane operator you hit the nail on the head.:yup
This morning we tore into the 321 to replace a shredded fan belt, not too bad other than being cramped. 3 hours of work and $200 later we're back in business.
But not so fast. The site is soaked and we spent the day turning and drying dirt. Made the call to pile it up, seal the piles and leave early at 3 as rain was coming. As you stated making the call to cut bait or line is always a difficult one. Fortunately the storm went just south of the site and it's supposed to be hot and sunny tomorrow, we'll see.
The projects I do are blow and go retail (mostly) with a tight time schedule. It pays OK but you're always under the gun at a contract price which makes the call more difficult.
The reason I'm interested in crane hire is I think our market is somewhat underserved and I'm always looking for another way to make money. I can't imagine the insurance cost and for now it's just curiosity for me. Keep the pics and explanation coming.
I'll have to figure out how to post pics. I enjoy seeing others jobs.
Cm1995
The crane game is fun. It's amazing how sometimes you want to strangle the guy who's paying a couple hundred an hour for you to take a nap. Most of the time that sounds pretty appealing but sometimes you want to kindly explain just how bad they are at their job.
Cm1995
The crane game is fun. It's amazing how sometimes you want to strangle the guy who's paying a couple hundred an hour for you to take a nap. Most of the time that sounds pretty appealing but sometimes you want to kindly explain just how bad they are at their job.
ichudov
Senior Member
resist the urge!
I've only threatened to leave one jobsite. Told the idiot Up on the trusses he was leaving or I was. They sent him home. He had me as mad as I've ever been.
Crane op
Did you pay any attention to the RB auction in Houston. Couple AT's looked like they sold pretty cheap. Had a gmk5115 you'd look good in. Lol
Crane op
Did you pay any attention to the RB auction in Houston. Couple AT's looked like they sold pretty cheap. Had a gmk5115 you'd look good in. Lol
They sent him down my way Knepp.
The lame ass nail bender decided to pull a string across the truss peaks so he make sure it was all strait before nailing it down . Got to swing them all in sideways .