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?

2 comments

2 Comments

wade78023d ago

Man, "you're fighting the machine, not working it" really sticks with you, huh? I had a similar moment with an old steamfitter who watched me trying to muscle a valve shut and just said "let the tool do the turning, son." It made me realize I was gripping so tight I was fighting the torque instead of feeling it. Now I try to relax my hands and let the equipment find its own rhythm. Your mileage may vary, but that advice about trusting the machine has saved my back more than once.

jennifer_west5223d ago

Cranes are pretty simple for the most part though, right? It's not like you're flying a jet. You pull a lever, the boom goes up. I get the whole zen of operating thing but sometimes people overthink this stuff. Unless you're actually jerking the controls around so bad the load is swinging, it's fine. Relaxing your grip is just basic ergonomics, not some deep philosophy.