Just some work pics

[crane operator]

Little rt action. Metal stud trusses on a 4 story, this is the same building I was setting precast on with my 70 ton. About a hour after I left, the operator called me and it was puking oil out the bottom. I was talking to myself about that crane the whole way out there, and how it loses a hose it seems every job it goes to (not actually every job, it just seems like it). Turns out we just had a loose fitting from our swivel rebuild, and it took out the o ring in the fitting. Easy fix.

 

[crane operator]

Glamour shot I was driving into the yard the other day, and these three were sitting there with the sun shining on them so nice, I couldn't help but take a picture. Sure they don't make any $ like this- but they all looked like runners in the blocks ready for a job.
(never mind all the projects I have, in and out of the shop, let me have my little happy moment)

 

[Knepptune]

That 635 we sealed the swivel did the same thing crane op. It's worse when it happens on a customers machine.

Those cranes do look sharp.

 

[Natman]

Whenever I see another hoisting engineer working when I'm traveling out of my area, on vacation (what's that?) or whatever, it's always fun to go over to them, make eye contact, wait for a down time, and then tell them there's a big pool of hydraulic oil under their rig. Ha ha, always gets a laugh, as it tells them I too am in the business! I should mention I IMMEDIATELY let them know I am kidding, so I don't get my butt kicked.....

 

[Junkyard]

I used to do the same when I'd pull in the yard and see the trucks lined up. Then I'd think to myself $hit I gotta find some work! Usually it was in from one job, re-gear and go again. Always made me proud to see what I had worked to accumulate.

 

[Natman]

I only have the one 30 ton, and I can't see it when I drive up, but that's because I keep it in a purpose built solar powered, radiant floor heated, insulated building, that sits on property I own in town. No utility bill and property tax is about $400.00 a year. It's all paid for. I constantly struggle with the need to have an employee/employees and more and larger cranes, but in the meantime things are going pretty good and I hate to rock the boat! Seeing what you can do with the bigger cranes really gets me thinking...... I need to find a few hundred K somewhere and add to my fleet I guess. My buddy in AZ I sold my last Manitex to has a pic like crane operator's, all three machines lined up, looking sharp, for sure something to be proud of.

 

[Tradesman]

My equipment sits inside as well but I know the feeling you are talking about. Our old shop was a pole building with 12'-0" sidewalls built in the 70's and was starting to get kinda tough, the crane wouldn't go in the 10 ft doors , so I rented a neighbors shed. About 5 years ago I tore down half the old shop and build our new building. My dad, 82 and in failing health was so pleased with the new shop often I would come home through the day and he would be sitting outside the office on an old dirty chair just looking at his new cathedral with a satisfied look on his face, that and the fact that my equipment was inside made it all worth the price.
My dad died last September 15, I worked my whole life with him, hardly a day went by without talking about work with him. Hours before he lost conciseness the last words we spoke were, what I was doing at work that day.
I had made my mind up that his funeral would be in his cathedral. It was one of the greatest things I ever done , much of the community came out to help us see dad off. So ya I know that feeling of satisfaction.

 

[td25c]

Equipment under roof cover is better than money in the bank
Good story Tradesman !

 

[crane operator]

Had a little stormy weather here the last couple days, and windy, had to pull a tree off a house this morning. Unfortunately it was laying on the other side of the house, and on the neighbors house.

25 ton, jib on, I almost went back to the shop for the 35, but the yard was to soft for anything bigger. The tree was laying on the white colored house to the right, punched through the roof about 1/2 way up it, we already had that off when I pulled out the camera. I went on the tree side of the house and rigged, and told the tree guys how big to cut. Had one of their guys relay hand signals around and between the houses. Had one of my operators running the crane.

Base of the tree was about centered on the deck/picnic table area of the brown house. 3' diameter base- 70-80' tall oak.

 

[crane operator]

Also pulled this out of the shop monday. Fresh coat of paint. Should have probably sandblasted, but we chipped off most of the rust, and this should last a while. Plus then we didn't have to unwire/plumbing, and cover wheels, etc, and we could still use the trailer while we were working on it.

I've been just wire wheel and scuffing the old paint, then using rustoleum rusty metal primer, and then rustoleum safety red paint. Just using weenie rollers and brush, its not a car like finish, its just a trailer. Looks good going down the road, I did my roll back trailer 3 or so years ago, and it looks pretty good yet.

 

[kshansen]

Had a little stormy weather here the last couple days, and windy, had to pull a tree off a house this morning. Unfortunately it was laying on the other side of the house, and on the neighbors house.

Hope someone is going to make good use out of that tree for firewood. Won't make up for the damage to the houses but at least keep someone warm next winter!

Between all the wind/storm damage and now wild fires in parts of the country there are many people having some bad luck.

 

[Tradesman]

Crane op that's a fine looking float, love the aluminum rims and the dropped platform, I'm a little concerned about your drive tires though, won't be able to drive through much snow, maybe should carry chains.

 

[crane operator]

I'm a little concerned about your drive tires though, won't be able to drive through much snow, maybe should carry chains.

Ha Ha- no snow here, you keep it all up there. If it snows here, you wouldn't have a chance of getting out of my hill, chains or no chains. I don't even own a set for any of the cranes. If I need chains, I need to stay home.

Actually - the picture is kind of deceiving, that truck has pretty good tires on it. They're a matched set except for one, I'd like to find a better used one to match the other drives. They're not a deep lug tire though- and the rock in the yard makes them look full. I plan on going to a set of float tires up front when I install my bigger steer axle. Will help with weight.

I do have some on one of the 25's though that are going to need replaced. I think I may go with a full set on it, and put what's on it on my old ford winch truck, its tires have some age cracks on them.

 

[crane operator]

Hope someone is going to make good use out of that tree for firewood

Most of the big stuff in the main trunk was rotten. It had a couple solid areas further up, but none of it will be firewood. That particular tree service is big into grinding, and then selling the mulch. Get paid to take it down, then get to sell it again. Whatever won't go through their small chipper they pull with their bucket truck, they load up in their short sided dump truck with their skidloader, and it goes back to their yard for the big tub grinder.

 

[kshansen]

Now that I look closer at the last picture I do see the dark areas in there. Once the ground starts to dry up a bit here I have a few trees to cut down lucky none near the house, one close to electric wires but have plans to run cable around it and encourage it to fall away from wires!

 

[Natman]

Ha Ha- no snow here, you keep it all up there. If it snows here, you wouldn't have a chance of getting out of my hill, chains or no chains. I don't even own a set for any of the cranes. If I need chains, I need to stay home.

Actually - the picture is kind of deceiving, that truck has pretty good tires on it. They're a matched set except for one, I'd like to find a better used one to match the other drives. They're not a deep lug tire though- and the rock in the yard makes them look full. I plan on going to a set of float tires up front when I install my bigger steer axle. Will help with weight.

I do have some on one of the 25's though that are going to need replaced. I think I may go with a full set on it, and put what's on it on my old ford winch truck, its tires have some age cracks on them.

I only chained up three times this winter (so far) made bearable because the "meter" was running, and it was obvious to everyone that the chains made the difference between getting to the job site or not, it wasn't a precaution but an absolute necessity. Must be nice Crane Op! There's a guy over by Jackson Hole Wy. who runs a small crane operation like mine, who has a AWD Peterbuilt for his National, he swears by it. I didn't have the heart to tell him that all it needed was a seated/heated cab.

Another big user of Rustoleum rusty metal primer here, except when possible I just use two coats of it and no finish, I kind of like the look. I have never tried a finish Rustoleum paint over that primer, I'll keep it in mind. A previous home I built had a lot of pipe handrail outside, and the finish paint would flake off every 5 years or so, but the red primer primer underneath still looked great, that's why my current house has all outside metal with JUST the primer and no finish! I didn't use Rustoleum for the finish coat, should have.

 

[crane operator]

Front tandem steer axle repair. These bushings in the center pivot were gone on my 70 ton. When you would go through a dip or steep spot on a jobsite, it would steel on steel. The suspension is actually a old reyco spring trailer suspension, they just put steer axles under it instead of trailer axles. The center piece is just a threaded pipe, with rubber bushings on each side held in by the big washers and nuts. We're probably repairing a few more suspension bushings, then getting a alignment done. There's a old truck shop in springfield that does my alignments, not everyone wants to align a twin steer with 38,000 on them.

 

[crane operator]

Few jobs from this week, sign company built this video board in their shop, 12' 3" wide at the wide end of its v- shape. Their door was only 12' wide, but we measured out that there was a sweet spot about 2' in on the v, where it should go through, there was even $ changing hands on whether we could get it through without tearing it back apart (which I guess is a big job- unwiring and dismantling). It fit, they did damage two of the small led's, which I guess is easier to replace than the labor to tear it all apart.

Went and set it with my 35 ton. Was about 8,000lbs. Put in the 3 part because it was a tight fit, swing over and push the cable tv lines, drop down on the "flag" portion of the pole, then slide- swing it up onto the main upright. Not much room to work.

 

[crane operator]

Truss job and a Hvac job. Truss job was just some 4 ply beams, and joists, one of my guys did it, I took him over before hand because I knew it was steep, but doable. I feel more comfortable sending them on the difficult ones if I show them the job before, and talk it through. I sent a second man to help him get set up, its easier when you teter totter if there's a second man to throw blocks for you on the other side.

Hvac unit was 1800lbs- 100' radius or so. Some of them were on the high roof, then there were a couple more on the lower roof to the left. There was a light pole and a big fence in the way for putting in jib, so I set up further out in the parking lot, installed jib, and backed in with jib on. Then drove back out to pull jib back off.

 

[crane operator]

Put the smokestacks back on the tour boat. They aren't that heavy, it just makes a big difference on radius, on how deep the water is. This is downstream from the big dam on table rock lake, and water level fluctuates depending on whether they are generating power or not.