Welder Dave
Senior Member
Curious what brand of crane that is with the cab on the left? I think most US built, the cab was on the right.
-
Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!
Why I hate boom trucks
- Thread starter crane operator
- Start date
I'm thinking Lima. I'd have to talley them up, but I'd guess it was about 2/3 right, 1/3 left. Some, like American, did both.
Tugger2
Senior Member
I like Truck Shops picture,i think id fit in well there instead of on a picker truck,trying to swivel my head with a neck that dosent move anymore.My Americans are cabs are on the right ,Lima is left. Both controls are similar and you use your left hand for swing.Northwests use right hand for swing .Im thinking i might be ready for a Northwest ,my right arm is wore out from operating ,might give it a break using it for swing.Then again might wreck things getting used to that to,old dogs dont learn well.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Ah found a photo of Crane Op Jr years ago. Been crane'n long he asks.
*
*
crane operator
Senior Member
Don't think I've ever seen that particular one man cab downstairs. Is that a IH truck?
Truck Shop
Senior Member
That cab was used for steel delivery trucks mainly--little narrow cab set to the center and steel loaded
along side the cab on both sides--IH built allot them, fondly called {Pin Heads}. You entered the cab
from the top or some from back, but most all were entered from top. Only this Pin Head was purposed
onto a crane/boom truck. That's a 1950 to 52 IH.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
A later 60-70's pin head.
*
*
skyking1
Senior Member
like they popped an Isetta on top
Last edited:
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Sort of! A guy here in town sold a Isetta a few years back---$45,000.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I've seen newer steel delivery trucks with a half cab and the deck extends where the passenger seat would be. I think they were IH's now that I think about it. Similar grill to S series trucks maybe??
Truck Shop
Senior Member
A big boom truck.
*
*
skyking1
Senior Member
I like the diaper under there.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Yeah that boom truck has a issue, going to be late setting rafters on the ice house.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I saw a smaller crane loaded sideways like that sitting at an intersection in the city. I saw the issue when I was directed around it. There were pilot trucks fore and aft but a driver had come around a 90 deg. turn lane going the opposite direction and turned their car into a convertible hitting the tracks hanging over the trailer. Why there were no police or anyone else stopping traffic at intersections is beyond belief. Thankfully the driver wasn't badly injured or killed.
I found a new hate for boom trucks yesterday. "Fixed cab" boom trucks that is. I never realized that in my 20 some years of running cranes and boom trucks I've never operated a fixed cab. I had to set some grain bin rafters the other day and the customer owns a boom truck that was on-site. So instead of driving one of our cranes an hour for a half days worth of work he said oh just use ours.
It didn't help that the cable and swing levers were opposite hands of what I'm used to but I couldn't believe just how disconnected from the swing I felt. I guess you just don't realize how connected you become to your machine and the feedback it's giving you as you operate it until it's gone. I'm sure you could get used to it but I don't think I'll be in the market for a fix cab anytime soon.
It didn't help that the cable and swing levers were opposite hands of what I'm used to but I couldn't believe just how disconnected from the swing I felt. I guess you just don't realize how connected you become to your machine and the feedback it's giving you as you operate it until it's gone. I'm sure you could get used to it but I don't think I'll be in the market for a fix cab anytime soon.
Last edited:
I was the first in my area to transition from a BTC/fixed operator station to a sit on your butt rotating cab type. Hard to believe, in Idaho's 4 th. largest city but true! When throwing the terms "boom truck" and "crane" around when talking to others not in the biz, I do often use the term crane for my 30 ton National rider (even though I know that's not allowed on this site, ha ha) a lot more than boom truck, because if seems if I don't most think it will be a BTC type. I find I often feel the need to explain the advantages of my rig versus a BTC type, when I get a call about moving a hot tub or similar. Nowadays in my area, there is only one guy running a fixed op stand up type.
Interesting that my spying phone coincidentally suggested a 5 year old Jimmy with To The Top Crane YouTube video with him running their stand up boom truck last night. Their boom truck seemed to be a similar vintage and model to the one I ran and the controls looked identical. Except on the one I ran it was like someone switched the swing lever with the hoist levers. So instead of the swing and telescope being on your left hand and the cable and boom on your right, which I would say is standard on any crane/boom truck I've been on, it had the cable on my left hand and the swing and boom on my right hand. It just made me have to consciously think about what levers I was pulling while trying to swing, boom, and hold the load.