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Tower Cranes!!!

BigIron25

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
196
Location
Missouri
Ive been racking up some time in our trainer tower crane, and have enjoyed to hear some horror stories, funny stories etc etc. Id like to hear some stories from some tower crane operators out there and get some pictures on here. Open for any discussion on tower cranes! :drinkup
 

Longhauler

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
12
Location
Houston, TX
This might not be the kind of story you were looking for, but a few years ago there was a tower crane operator in San Antonio that used to give traffic reports via CB radio. From his vantage point he could see every freeway near the downtown area. Saved me quite a bit of lost time to traffic accidents and such.
 

TD24

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
295
Location
MS
Occupation
RETIRED (Mostly)
Was going to post a pic of a tower being set up at our local hospital but could not get it to copy over.
Lieberr that looked to be 150' tall. I have seen them up and watched in operation.
Was my first chance to see one come off the slab, stack up the frame, hoist up the control cabin and
the steeple on top.Then the short arm, then the long arm.
Really an exercise in balance management. Plus the op on the lifting crane was a real pro.
Just got hooked on to what they wanted next, hoisted it smoothly up to hand reach distance, then let it
gently settle in the slots to pin, drop back down for the next.
Crew was Diamondback Rigging and Hoist, showing phone # in LA, TX, and FL.
Mobile setup crane was from Burkhalter. Very professional workers they were.
(I'm a forklift man so heights up to 25 feet are duck soup- Anything in your line, I will send the ducks up.) LOL LOL
 

hoosier

Active Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
30
Location
south carolina
Stacking hatch covers on barges in 25mph+ winds running a peccos that some of the operators would swing wide open and then jam it in the opposite direction to see how far the structure would twist.
That rig was like fishing for sharks with a zebco 33.
No pics,wish I had taken pics of some of those rigs back then.
 

mantirig

Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
6
Location
texas
i got to run one for a week it was 220ft. up with 180ft. jib . it was pretty new and worked good, flexed like H*&l. The week I was in it the wind blew up to fifty MPH the first alarm came on at 31 MPH the second alarm came on at 49 MPH needless to say I was sure glad when the regular oper. showed up and I got the heck off of there quick !!!! Darn thing moved 6-8 ft. in every direction sitting still.
 

gostr8r

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
259
Location
Orlando, Fl.
Occupation
Full time crane operator for Crane Rental Corp sin
My favorite t/c project was a 2 year seat at 600 feet at NASA's V.A.B. to remove and replace 8 acres of original roof that was from the mid '60's. I will be glad to post pics and vid's but haven't fingered it out yet, and I've posted many pics and vid's on many other forums prior to joining this one. The set up to do so is just a bit different. Maybe a link to my photobucket will do instead. http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums/y355/gostr8r/My Crane Rental Corp projects/
 
Last edited:

gostr8r

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
259
Location
Orlando, Fl.
Occupation
Full time crane operator for Crane Rental Corp sin
Diamond Back Hoist and Rigging?

The owner of that company has been a close personal friend of mine since '83. It's Richard Graham and he's a tower crane wizard. Did a few things with him and have the UTMOST respect for him too. We took our T/C Examiner's course together, and he showed all of us how smooth it could be done when he took his turn running the Potain Fast Tower that we had.
Was going to post a pic of a tower being set up at our local hospital but could not get it to copy over.
Lieberr that looked to be 150' tall. I have seen them up and watched in operation.
Was my first chance to see one come off the slab, stack up the frame, hoist up the control cabin and
the steeple on top.Then the short arm, then the long arm.
Really an exercise in balance management. Plus the op on the lifting crane was a real pro.
Just got hooked on to what they wanted next, hoisted it smoothly up to hand reach distance, then let it
gently settle in the slots to pin, drop back down for the next.
Crew was Diamondback Rigging and Hoist, showing phone # in LA, TX, and FL.
Mobile setup crane was from Burkhalter. Very professional workers they were.
(I'm a forklift man so heights up to 25 feet are duck soup- Anything in your line, I will send the ducks up.) LOL LOL
 

gostr8r

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
259
Location
Orlando, Fl.
Occupation
Full time crane operator for Crane Rental Corp sin
My monkey act.

I don't do this anymore so let's get that straight right now. But back in the day when I was fearless and foolish I would go out there on the tip and grease and inspect but also just to chill out and get the coolest pictures from some very unique angles and perspectives. No body harness, belt or lanyards, nor brains or better judgement either looking back at it now, but as you can see I would hang under the tip and get the view that no one else ever sees. They're in a series of shots on this photobucket link. Again tho, there's no more doing this at all now;);)! I did like the pics tho!!!!!!!!!!http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums...ration/?action=view&current=Scan111410173.jpg
 

Keller

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
11
Location
Sullivan MO
Ive been racking up some time in our trainer tower crane, and have enjoyed to hear some horror stories, funny stories etc etc. Id like to hear some stories from some tower crane operators out there and get some pictures on here. Open for any discussion on tower cranes! :drinkup


What you doing trying to train up and take my work?


151e8951.jpg


phone140.jpg


phone135.jpg


805cab18.jpg



IMAG0016.jpg





If you squint real hard you can see the arch in the last one!
 

BigIron25

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
196
Location
Missouri
What you doing trying to train up and take my work?


151e8951.jpg


phone140.jpg


phone135.jpg


805cab18.jpg



IMAG0016.jpg





If you squint real hard you can see the arch in the last one!

Haha, no worries Keller, I dont have enough skill to take the seat from any tower crane operator right now. Maybe in a few years I could make a day on one hahaha. Awesome pictures, where is this at exactly? I almost asked if you were at the SLAM project but thats Parics job and I saw these are McCarthys cranes... looks like somewhere south of saint louis?
 

qball

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Messages
1,072
Location
il
Occupation
local 150 operator
ghost, i looked through your pictures.
YOU ARE FRIGGING INSANE!!!:eek:
 

Keller

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
11
Location
Sullivan MO
Haha, no worries Keller, I dont have enough skill to take the seat from any tower crane operator right now. Maybe in a few years I could make a day on one hahaha. Awesome pictures, where is this at exactly? I almost asked if you were at the SLAM project but thats Parics job and I saw these are McCarthys cranes... looks like somewhere south of saint louis?

The one looking g at the arch is dead west of STL at St Johns hospitial at hwy 270&40.

The others are actually in IL.
 

BigIron25

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
196
Location
Missouri
I don't do this anymore so let's get that straight right now. But back in the day when I was fearless and foolish I would go out there on the tip and grease and inspect but also just to chill out and get the coolest pictures from some very unique angles and perspectives. No body harness, belt or lanyards, nor brains or better judgement either looking back at it now, but as you can see I would hang under the tip and get the view that no one else ever sees. They're in a series of shots on this photobucket link. Again tho, there's no more doing this at all now;);)! I did like the pics tho!!!!!!!!!!http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums... Corporation/?action=view¤t=Scan111410173.jpg

Gostr8r, you got some balls of steel. haha Some of those pics on the tower/crawlers, did you climb the lacing and rope work all the way to the top? I didnt see the headache ball anywhere near you in a few pics. And I noticed you sliding down some ropework in a few pictures. looks like fun! awesome pics thanks for sharing
 

BigIron25

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
196
Location
Missouri
Yep. they pretty much do all Mccarthys towers.

Yeah when I was with Budrovich we did a lot of tower cranes for everyone, seems pretty shakey for those Iron Workers hanging out there in space haha. Do you have to be on the crane during assembly/dissassembly? Or do you just climb it when its all erected? What about jacking procedures, does the operator oversee that operation? What kind of maintenance regimin do you follow? as far as the slewing ring and checking structure bolts on the vertical sections of the tower? Ive heard some stories about bolts gradually getting looser or just falling out all together... especially on those kangaroo? cranes at Holcim, something about the bolts were supposed to be put in, in a manner where if they sheared they were supposed to fall out onto the deck, so they could be more easily spotted during inspection... sounds like a major safety hazard if the bolt were to fall off the tower etc etc. Maybe you can dispell some of these as fact or myth?
 
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