Just some work pics

[Queenslander]

I recently read a report about a lowboy operator at a mine site, here, who had a flat tyre on his unladen trailer.
He pulled into the onsite tyre store and selected a replacement from several that had been repaired.
The tyre in question had been a slow leaker and subsequently cleared as being OK.
The driver placed the tyre in a cage, checked pressure and fitted it to the trailer.
He then reached in beside it to lower the jack, as the tyre settled on the ground, it exploded, killing him instantly.
The coroner recommended that repaired tyres be inflated to 120% ,in a cage, and left there for 20 minutes.
He also recommended a longer handled jacking system to keep the operator further away from tyres.
All of these stories are sad to read, but if we can pick up a tip from each of them, it may just save a life sometime.

 

[Bumpsteer]

My old Dodge pickup had splits on it, one place would lay the tire & rim on the floor and lower the hoist over it.....

Ed

 

[crane operator]

Boat day. Boat company has a dealer show every year at a big hotel/convention center here in town. 17 semi loads of boats. Had the first 11 loads off between 7:30 and 10:30. Had to wait till afternoon for the last 6 loads. We'll load them back up again friday.

 

[crane operator]

Staples store is leaving town. Harbor Freight tools is taking their place. I think when the building was built you could drive all the way around it, now its grown up with trees and has washed out areas by the gutters, so no access for the sign guys to change the sign out. We removed the old letters and painted the wall where they were. The big ones weren't bad, the little one around the backside was a little more reach.

 

[crane operator]

Trusses today. 80' long, about 100' away. I have no idea how the delivery guy made the corners in here when he brought in the trusses.

 

[crane operator]

 

[crane operator]

In other news, one of my little window unit AC systems for the upper doesn't cool, sent one of the guys to walmart, $100 later a whole new A/c system. I bought extended warranty on the other one, but you have to go through corporate, can't exchange at the store BLAH, BLAh, blah.... That's why I usually don't even buy the extended warranty.

 

[crane operator]

Loaded boats back up friday. One of the truckers had this unique cut down peterbilt. I guess they cut this just to haul a regular load from a factory. It's got a unique hitch trailer set up too. The driver said the cab and sleeper were both pretty crowded. Running on 19.5 rubber also- trying to stay under height I think.

 

[crane operator]

For those carpenters out there- the center 12' of these trusses get taken out after they're installed, making a continuous vault. They put in the little truss piece to hold them together while getting hauled and installing. I'm just glad I don't have to remove all those steel plates, the head framer thinks hes going to just cut them out with a sawsall, I don't think that will be any picnic.

 

[Tradesman]

We did a set of trusses like that last summer,only it was the whole bottom chord that had to cut out and before we had everything straightened and fastened the owner drove in. To say the least she was a very emotional girl and was instantly very upset " what happened my beautiful cathedral ceiling " I told her the building department wouldn't allow it. Then started getting angry so I told her the truth before she turned on me.

 

[Tradesman]

the head framer thinks hes going to just cut them out with a sawsall, I don't think that will be any picnic.

They aren't bad to take apart the truss company purposely uses an undersized gusset, usually all you have to do is cut the brace an give the piece left in the gusset a twist and the barbs will break loose of the bottom cord .
( I SAID USUALY if it starts doing too much damage plan B is a pry bar and break the gusset loose )

 

[hvy 1ton]

Loaded boats back up friday. One of the truckers had this unique cut down peterbilt. I guess they cut this just to haul a regular load from a factory. It's got a unique hitch trailer set up too. The driver said the cab and sleeper were both pretty crowded. Running on 19.5 rubber also- trying to stay under height I think.

That hitch setup is pretty common on truck/trailer car haulers. It's probably b/c it's on 19.5's but it really doesn't look like it has a car hauler front axle.

 

[crane operator]

A little cell phone work on a water tower, used the rt because of lack of room in the tower area. I had some truck troubles again, but my buddy bailed me out and got it to the site. We had to install jib up in another parking lot, then back down the hill and around the tower to reach it. I was right in the sun for some of it, but they didn't take long.

The last picture shows a little block we made to install jib on the rt. They've got a goofy spring bracket that stops you from retracting all the way, and they never work right, someone has to stand and hold it while you're retracting all the way, and I don't like that.

We built a little square block that holds the stop down all the way. We put the block in when we're installing/removing jib. I built a little stow bracket for it also, and mounted it to the jib stow bracket.

 

[Hank R]

Man you sure get some very interesting work.

 

[ichudov]

 

[crane operator]

Well I've broken down and joined the new age of cranes, less is more, or something like that. I spent Friday and Saturday limping this home from Illinois, I'm the proud owner of a boom truck now.

1990, National 1295. 95' main, 44 of jib (which I'm probably just going to dismount and store at the shop). Mack with a 350hp, 9 speed mack trans, top loader mack rears. No A2B, no scale, no rotation indicators, no pilot or electric controls, all levers.

Good: like the mack cab, roomy and good visibility, (except its a hot ba$^erd). Camelback rear suspension and its really stable cornering. Good rubber all the way around. Mack engine seems to have good torque (no jakes-yet). Steering is tight and straight. Tight transmission. Old boss had one of these National uppers on a volvo, and they seemed pretty good- he had a ton of hours on his. Only 20' outrigger span (nice), front jack for 360 deg chart.

Bad: Governor must be going out on the injection pump. Got worse the further I got toward home. Fine at idle or wide open, anything else and the motor is constantly hunting/surging. Something in the governor is my theory, but I was really glad to make it home.

Seems like a ton of heat in the cab, maybe that's all mack's, but I'm going to check heater hoses/ install shut offs, and seal up around the shifter boot to start.

This thing won't turn. They've got 425 tires up front, and the turn stops way out, but there's only a finger width between the tire and the steering arm, may have to go to 315's, and crank the stops in. I had to make a 5 point turn into hardee's for lunch.

No turn signals, no wipers, no lights. Clutch needs adjusted (hope there's some left to adjust), probably a coat of paint on everything, the controls are all backwards, so we'll move some cable controls. Bunch more little things. Little rust on the flatbed side rails, double frame and cab look good.

The ugly:


More pictures to follow, right now I've had about all of that little puppy on the hood that I want...... (and shouldn't he be gold- I'm all mack)

 

[crane operator]

Man you sure get some very interesting work.

Thanks, Hank. It seems like its always something different, we joke that we're everyone's method of last resort. If they can't think of a way to do it with a forklift, excavator, or manlift, we get a call....

 

[lantraxco]

One driver I knew borrowed a wrench from me, turned the bulldog around to face the cab... said he didn't mind driving a Mack, but was dammed if he'd stare at a dog's behind all day... something to think about. Seems like a real solid rig, congrats.

 

[alskdjfhg]

said he didn't mind driving a Mack, but was dammed if he'd stare at a dog's behind all day...

Now that's funny

 

[Tradesman]

I've been saving this because I knew eventually you'd come over to the dark side.