Working the National 1300A

Nice work. I’ve been thinking of getting a jib, but don’t want it mounted full time, because I quite often get within a few hundred pounds of my chart limit when setting roof sections on large houses usually the back porch that can be 90 plus feet radius. I only have two tower customers that do tower work that I have ever wished I had the jib for. So my question is how do you mount your jib off a trailer?

Tradesman said:

So my question is how do you mount your jib off a trailer?

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If you just haul it on a flatbed- you have to have a telehandler or such to put it on.

I worked for a outfit that had a gooseneck trailer and a rear rack on the back. You could put a jib on it (rear rack to top of gooseneck neck), and have it high enough to scope into it and pin it up.

That trailer was essentially like this that I put on my 450, and this rack would actually work if it was just a little higher. You can then add blocks in on the jobsite to angle up and down, and use the outriggers also to get the two even with each other and scope it in. Its a two man operation.

I store it at my yard with the mount end up in the air, a steel support in a concrete pier with a saddle supports it. The tip is at ground level, on a block of wood, so it's at a 30 degree or so angle. I have the right set up area noted, and then it's just a matter of my helper (it takes one) to help get me lined up enough to put 2 pins in, then I boom up and stow it as normal.
In this case, (the silo antenna job) I "made" the customer come get it, he just dropped his car hauler trailer off in my front area, it's right on the way into town so no biggie for him, and the next time I returned from a job I picked it and loaded it on his trailer, no helper required. They had a forklift on site.
On the antenna job, being pretty sure I wouldn't need it, we had a skid steer. As it was still on the trailer coming from the silo job, and right on the way back to my yard, it was no hassle. First time I used it in two or more years I think. IF I had to buy one, I don't think I would, but it came with the rig so I'll keep it. Let me take a wild guess Tradesman: to buy one, with a stinger, new.....18 to 28 K? Using my usual crane parts pricing program: I think of the highest possible price, and then double or triple it it, to get in the ballpark. IF I bought a 14127 National (33 ton, 127' 5 section boom, next step up from my 13110) I'd for sure not have a jib. But one of those 33 tonners have a 26' outrigger wingspan, a big hassle on my tight sites, my 20' is trouble enough. I think you and I have the best rigs for residential work, narrow span and our counterweights to help.

Today, when I hit the Mack's dash switch that transfers control of the throttle over to the op cab, and also engaged the PTO, something weird happened. After about 20 seconds the usual idle increased 300 RPM, and stayed there. Thinking one of the two manual throttle locks (one in the op cab, one underneath) had somehow caused this, I checked, nope. Maybe my water bottle or something up against the cab foot pedal, nope. Plus, no joy with the foot throttle at all. I shut everything down and booted it up again (like you sometimes can fix a phone or computer issue) no luck. The high idle speed was just fast enough to get the trusses set with no one being the wiser, and at one point when I had a few minutes time I called the company whose name was conveniently located right on the foot throttle, "Williams Controls", and was told it was most likely the sensor, and to get the # on it and call back.

After taking off the access panel and following the wire loom out of the pedal, into the rats nest of the cab control panel, I made a second call and found out the sensor was on the bottom of the pedal itself. No problem, but than I discovered it is seemingly secured with either a Allen head or Torx screw, on the backside, with little clearance, most difficult to get at, of the pedal. I'm bringing those tools out in the AM from my home shop and will see if I can get the thing out to look at. Also a mirror so I can maybe get the # without removal. Just now thought, maybe my phone camera would work..., I hate to leave National out of the loop when buying parts, but I remember my lost pad quote of $1500.00 and at least 6 weeks, but when I contacted the outfit who made it, direct (can't recall their name) got it in 5 days for around $600.00. Hopefully it's the sensor, that'd be the most simple fix.

I wonder how I survived working in dark/cramped placed before the cell phone camera... I've lost count of the number of times I've been able to save a lot of disassembly to get at a part number, or just be able to figure out how to disassemble it by sticking the phone in there and snapping pictures blind. I've even got a little cheap borescope that I can plug in the phone when the phone is too big to fit.

I've got a few machines I use it to read hour meters

I too have one of those cheap borescopes, didn't think of that! I'll take it and the inspection mirror. I just recently started taking pictures of things, including something on my computer screen, rather than scribbling something down on a scrap of paper. It's hard to keep up, I almost wish I hadn't bought that set of encyclopedias last year.

I used my phone on a stick, and a headlight on a stick to illuminate it to check these Dressler couplings for leaks after I got the pump going.
https://youtube.com/shorts/6SRtMViH3mo

Probably going to need something like this: I don't know what particular part # from williams that national used, so your going to need to know what engine you have and possibly the wire plug numbers and voltage- 3 wire- 5 wire etc- and there's usually a range that they output for different ecm's.

And just so I understand- the throttle from the driving cab is fine, just the throttle in the upstairs cab is goofy? Does it have a throttle control at the rear for outriggers- and if so- does it work correctly? And does the rear throttle work with the upper throttle or the lower driving cab throttle. Just trying to figure out where the problem is exactly at.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3137860866...m55pLDlc%2Bfp2t2w%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675

Got it out, (looks just like that) read the numbers on it off to the Williams rep in S.C., and was told "no such number!" After the usual voice mail, on hold, dropped calls thing, all while swing trusses, we finally figured out there were two groups of numbers on the thing, one set (that didn't compute) must be the plastic mold number or something, the parts guy was puzzled, the set I needed are stamped in the that lower rectangular section, and they are a series of dots, that comprise the number. Zoom in on that Ebay picture, see what I mean?! I showed it to several people on the storm tank run off job I was on, "here's the part, what's the number?" They all did like I did, got the easily visible number and never noticed the dots.... screwy deal, you had to hold it just right in the sun to discern them. All part of the fun of a breakdown, $139.00 plus postage, (bit more than the Ebay price crane op posted, as expected.....) and it's on it's way. No way could I have read those dot numbers upside down with a borescope, so worth taking it off.
Only after ordering the part, on my third job of the day, I noticed that even without the PTO engaged, soon as I flick the switch in the truck cab to the crane throttle, after about 15 seconds the idle climbs and levels off at 800, normal is 600. No throttle action in the op cab via the floor pedal or the hand set throttles. The issue may be in the device/switch/relay, that's up in the truck dash (or wherever it is), and the op cab sensor I just ordered may not be the problem, but if nothing else, after replacing it I will at least know IT isn't the problem.
Short of extending the boom, which is usually the only time I rev it up as that mode is so slow anyway, once at work swinging trusses the 800 rpm is about fast enough, winch speed is good, boom up/down, rotate. The last job of the day no one even noticed. I set the 18 K storm tank all at normal idle speed, this morning I may try a work around: PTO engaged, truck throttle still on/engaged, so truck floor pedal working, and with me in the op cab extending the boom, have someone else in the truck cab with their foot on the throttle giving me about 1500 RPM to get that boom shot out, once out the work can be done just fine at 800 or even 600 rpm.

A 2x4 cut the right length makes a decent makeshift high idle switch. It is annoying as hell when you stop using the crane and the engine is still idled up.

A lot of trucks you can use the cruse control to set the idle

Yes, I can do that, set any RPM, but not below 950 (not 900 like I said earlier), nonetheless, I set an I beam today in a basement, then trussed a different home, and then a 30' fiberglass swimming pool 20 miles away, done by 2:30. Booked for much of next week, I don't being (partially broke down if I can still get the work done, more an annoyance than anything.

Got my new throttle sensor in, and the old one was indeed the problem, all better now. Sure is nice having throttle control back. I got screwed on the price, buying where I did without knowing any better, but at least I made a new friend at Williams! Rotten SOB's anyway....

Spring time in Idaho, after near 70 degree temps, the last week it's snowed about every day. I couldn't make it up this paved driveway, taking the curves too slow lost traction, hitting them with some speed I just blew out of them. I stopped, and had to borrow a pickup to run back to my yard (10 miles) to get the chains, that I had taken out a month earlier. There will be a swimming pool under the roof, a shotcrete built in place one, after the first one cracked due to the site being built on fill. They would be better off with one of the Fiberglas ones I'd imagine, but too late now. I installed a solar water heater for them (neighbors, more or less) 15 years ago, it cost less than 3K, and saved them 4-6 hundred dollars a month in propane costs

The big real high dollar homes in my area are all in the upper part of this mountain town, for the views. So the new subdivisions are doin a lot of major cutting into hillsides and making fancy retaining walls. This one was, using big pre cast blocks, over the top, and probably cost more than my house. Check out the 3 garage windows, with a great view of the blocks 2' away, what happens when they take a house plan and plop it down without any fine tuning.

This nail bender tacking down the truss stabilizer was totally out of my view, the camera came in handy as I could watch him get it secured and immediately cable down to unhook me without any yelling and signaling from the rest of the crew. He didn't know I had a camera....must of thought I had my X ray goggles on I guess.

WHY even have windows on that side!!!! Arckytechs, too stupid to actually Design a House. Rate right up there with Enganears.

Hey I resemble that remark LOL I'll have my 50 years in with the county road department as an engineer on June 26th.. Did 2 afternoons of new employee training last Fri and today with my daughters engineering company. She been assigned to be my training buddy It should be fun. They recruited me, not me looking.
I'll bet the windows were a cut and paste. Still time to board up the holes and install siding

Back in the day, if I had been framing that house, I would have called it out to whoever I was working for, as STUPID. I also more than once pointed out a great view that was being ignored by no window, same deal, a pre bought plan built house, totally ignoring the site it was actually being built on. Nowadays, I just keep my mouth shut, NOT MY PROBLEM! Just something to keep myself amused while onsite.

Nothing wrong with good ones, yourself, my older brother and a few I have worked with yet there are over edjumacated idjits that have degrees in Enga!!
Had a female Enga we were doing a test on the dynamic ventilation factor of the radiologic buildings, essentially shut down all outputs then the input and watch a magnahelic(analog) gauge read that dynamic pressure flow and ebb, kept telling her the Control Room wanted her to be done, she was trying to be persistent in that the gauge HAD to stabilize before took a reading.

i finally gave the RO a reading and she had a fit, ventilation was restarted and she stated test was failed. Went to CR and explained to the Supervisor who then looked at her went to the test port in the CR wall attached same gauge and explained to her the ‘Sensitivity’ level of a analog Magnahelic Guage, she resigned next day. Idjit with papers, she now works for the NRC, typical.