c/crane-operators

Dropped $800 on a fancy remote control for my crawler crane and it was dead out of the box.

Had to spend another 2 hours on the phone with the supplier getting a replacement shipped while the job site sat idle. Anyone else get burned by expensive electronics that fail right away?

Worst week I've had in 15 years of running tower cranes...

Last Thursday the swing brake failed on a Liebherr 180 down at the Harbor Point job site and I had to hand-signal every pick from the ground for 3 days straight while the mechanic tried to track down a part, has anyone else dealt with a sudden brake failure like that mid-job?

Tried a 20 year old trick on an older lattice boom crane and it worked way better than I expected

I was fighting a sticky boom extension on a 1980s Link-Belt last month and an old timer told me to spray the slides with cooking oil instead of penetrating oil. The boom slid out smooth as butter after I did it and it didn't attract dust like I thought it would. Has anyone else here tried a weird lube trick that actually worked?

Why does nobody talk about how fast crane cable can fray in salt air?

Been running a Liebherr LTM 1050 on a dock job near Wilmington, NC for about 6 weeks now. Checked the hoist cable this morning and found a strand broken on the drum wrap. I know the standard says replace after visible broken wires but this is only 4 months old. Factory spec should last way longer inland. Anyone else run into this near the coast?

Found a trick for smooth slewing on windy days in Seattle

Been running a Liebherr LTM 1050 up on a job near the waterfront. Wind was gusting pretty hard last Tuesday and the load was swinging like crazy every time I tried to slew. My old foreman always said to bump the swing brake instead of feathering the joystick. I tried it - just quick little taps on the brake pedal while keeping the joystick steady. Cut the sway by at least half. Anyone else use this or got a better way for gusty conditions?

Wasted $400 on a cheap load cell last month - shoulda listened to my trainer

I was trying to save a few bucks on a load cell for my mobile crane setup. Found one online for $400 from a no-name brand and thought I was being smart. First day out on a job in Houston, it started giving me readings all over the place. I figured it was just interference or something so I kept using it. By the third lift, the numbers were off by almost 2,000 pounds and I almost overloaded a pickup truck. My trainer Frank had told me to stick with the name brand stuff like Rice Lake or similar, but I figured I knew better. Ended up having to buy a proper one for $900 anyways, plus the $400 is just sitting in my toolbox now. Anyone else get burned by cheap gear like this?

Old timer in Newark told me my tagline was too tight and that cost me 15 minutes on a pick last Tuesday

He showed me to leave just a bit of slack so the load can settle natural instead of fighting the crane and now I adjust for wind every single time, anyone else have a mentor who fixed their rigging habits?

Hot take: I think boom angle sensors are overrated on older rigs

My 2002 Liebherr LTM 1050 had the boom angle sensor fail last Tuesday on a job outside Tulsa. I ran the rest of the shift using manual calculations and a digital level from Harbor Freight. The sensor was just making me lazy about knowing my actual angles. Has anyone else ditched a sensor and gone back to basics on a vintage crane?

I had a load start swinging bad on a job site in Denver last Tuesday

The wind kicked up out of nowhere and I nearly let it hit a steel beam before I did a quick boom down and swung through it, but now my boss wants me to write up a report - has anyone else had to deal with a sudden gust like that and what did you do to keep it steady?

Vent: Thought the digital level was a gimmick until it saved my butt on a 60 ton pick

Been running cranes for 12 years and always used a bubble level for outrigger setup. Old school, you know. Last month I was doing a pick in a tight spot near a 3 story building in downtown Nashville. The ground looked level but the digital level showed a 2 degree tilt I couldn't see. That thing saved me from a load shift that could've hit the building. Has anyone else had one of those tools they swore was overkill turn out to be worth every penny?

Dropped $200 on a laser plumb bob and it saved me 3 hours on a hospital job last Tuesday

Had to set up a luffing tower crane tight between two buildings and that cheap laser lined everything up on the first try, has anyone else found a gadget that actually paid for itself in one shift?

Just caught a load shift using a $30 camera instead of the cab mirror

Was lifting pipe near a blind spot last Tuesday and my spotter's radio went out. Hooked up a cheap backup camera to the headache ball and saw the load starting to spin before anyone on the ground noticed. Any of you guys running cameras instead of relying on taglines?

Swapped to a shorter pendant line and it changed everything on steep picks

I was struggling with boom deflection on a 25-ton Terex picking 8,000 lbs at 60 feet radius on a slope. Shortened my pendant line by 4 feet after a senior guy suggested it, and the load stability difference was night and day. Anyone else ever adjust pendant length for site-specific conditions like steep ground?

Noticed how smooth my crane boom extension went after I switched from grease to dry lube on the sliding pads

Used to take me a good 20 minutes fighting with sticky sections on a Liebherr LTM 1050 back in 2019, but after I saw a tech at a jobsite in Tulsa spray that dry lube on his boom, I gave it a shot and now the whole process is under 5 minutes with way less wear marks has anyone else made that swap or am I just lucky?

Had a veteran operator in Seattle tell me I should always boom down before swinging and I argued that swinging first is faster on tight jobs

He said he's bent two booms in 30 years by ignoring that rule and asked me how many booms I've fixed, so now I always wonder who's right on the clock vs safety debate.

Snapped a main hoist cable right at lunch yesterday

Was lifting a steel beam near the yard entrance and the cable let go with a bang, thank god nobody was under it, but now I'm stuck filling out paperwork for the rest of the shift and wondering if anyone's had to replace a whole cable drum on a Grove RT before.

Had another operator point out I was leveling my outriggers wrong for 2 years

So I've been running a Grove RT for about 2 years now and always did outriggers by eye. Last week an old hand named Dave walks by my job site in Phoenix and says 'you're gonna tip that thing if you keep that up.' He showed me I wasn't checking my level bubble after extending each leg, just after dropping the pads. Took him 30 seconds to demonstrate. I felt like an idiot lol. Has anyone else had a little trick like that completely change how you set up?

Had a talk with an old crane hand that made me rethink my whole approach

Last week I was on a site in Pittsburgh and this guy who's been running cranes since the 80s watched me set up my boom. He just said 'you're fighting the machine, not working it.' I asked what he meant and he told me I was too stiff with the controls, like I was scared to let the crane do its job. It hit me different because I've been so focused on being precise that I forgot to trust the equipment. Has anyone else had an old timer point out something simple that changed how you operate?

Old timer told me to grease the hook block every single day no matter what

Nearly dropped a 2 ton AC unit on a Ford F-150 yesterday

Was setting a rooftop unit at a strip mall in Tulsa, the wind caught it just as I was swinging it over the parking lot. Had to drop the load fast and let the tagline guy pull it clear - ended up setting it down on the grass strip between two cars instead.

Blew $200 on a load cell I didn't even need

I was sure my crane's overload sensor was acting up on a job in downtown Nashville last month. Spent $200 on a replacement load cell before realising it was just a loose ground wire on the control box. Anyone else ever chase a ghost issue and throw money at the wrong part?

Just realized most guys rig way too heavy for hoisting siding bundles

I kept seeing crane ops double-wrap and using 8-foot spreaders for 10-foot HardiePlank, but after trying a single choker hitch on a job in Spokane last Thursday, it handled fine and saved me 15 minutes per truck. Anybody else find simpler rigging works better than the textbook stuff?

I chose the LTM 1050 over the Liebherr LRT 1100 for a tight site in Portland

Everyone at the yard told me to go with the Liebherr because it's newer and has better load charts. But I had a job on a narrow street downtown with a 30 foot radius limit, and the 1050's smaller footprint just fit better. Ended up placing 12 HVAC units on a roof with zero street closures... the Liebherr would have needed permits. Has anyone else picked an older model for a specific job and had it work out?

Just dropped $800 on a new headset and it's already giving me static

I finally caved and bought that high-end wireless headset everyone's been talking about for crane cabs. It was supposed to be crystal clear for talking to my signal person and listening to the site radio. The first day on a job in Dallas, it was great. But by the third morning, I started getting this low crackle in my right ear, right when we were setting trusses. I had to stop and switch back to my old wired set, which just added more time. For that kind of money, you expect it to just work, you know? Now I'm stuck with a fancy paperweight unless I want to deal with the return mail. Has anyone found a brand that actually holds up to the daily vibration and dust?

Warning: a gust in Cleveland last Thursday nearly swung my load into a scaffold.

The wind picked up fast from the lake, and my 12-ton concrete panel started a slow, scary swing toward the crew below before I could get it under control, so what's your go-to move for sudden wind shifts on a high-rise site?