NOT MY PROBLEM! Nothing I know of that would formally and officially require me to report to "the authorities" out of spec building practices. But, I was a carpenter too long to not chime in when I see something really out of whack, if for no other reason then to let them know they didn't get away with blowing smoke over their screwup. Like "oh, the truss is built wrong", when really, they screwed their layout up, things like that. Or my favorite: when they stand on the bottom chord of a long narrow hip master truss, bowing it out 12" or so, then proceed to put a level on it for plumb, whereas the only proper way to do that is line and brace the bottom chord first, then plumb to the top chord, but what do I know, I'm just the crane guy!
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Working the National 1300A
- Thread starter Natman
- Start date
Welder Dave
Senior Member
So you can just refuse the lift if it looks too wonky? What would have happened if the truss the guy pressured you into lifting came apart and injured someone while being lifted? Not questioning your expertise just curious. Would a judge accept I'm just the crane operator? I don't know the laws regarding lifts. I worked at a job where my skid steer had to be lowered into a church basement. Mammoet had a big crane to lift HVAC units on to the roof. I got delayed and got there when they were just starting to clean up. The crane (I'm guessing 75 to 100 ton for the reach) was 30' away from where my machine had to be lowered. They asked the weight (4800lbs) but because they had already signed off on the lift wouldn't lower my machine. I think a 25 ton came the next day and lowered it from about the same position.
lumberjack
Senior Member
And that Mantis is still at the CAT dealer, it lives there! Good shot LJ.
OF COURSE I will refuse a lift, if it looks and is wrong, and it has nothing to do with any regulations, just common sense. I don't want to see anybody hurt of course, plus just to be associated with a project that has gone wrong, thru no fault of my own, is not good. I don't even like working for a framer who is slow, meaning if I'm there 7 hours setting trusses, on a house that most others would take 4 or 5, it makes me look bad! I get a lot more enjoyment out of doing a lift that is efficient as can be, with safety being a given. The one thing that really sets me off is if some bozo makes a comment about a screwup THEY made that adds time to my bill, and that I must like that! I hate it, but because I hate being associated with their screwup, I sure as heck am going to charge for it. On the other hand, the good crews I work with on a regular basis, I cut them some slack when something happens, that is clearly not their fault. I'm sure most or all here do similar, it's just good business plus I can sleep at night.
OF COURSE I will refuse a lift, if it looks and is wrong, and it has nothing to do with any regulations, just common sense. I don't want to see anybody hurt of course, plus just to be associated with a project that has gone wrong, thru no fault of my own, is not good. I don't even like working for a framer who is slow, meaning if I'm there 7 hours setting trusses, on a house that most others would take 4 or 5, it makes me look bad! I get a lot more enjoyment out of doing a lift that is efficient as can be, with safety being a given. The one thing that really sets me off is if some bozo makes a comment about a screwup THEY made that adds time to my bill, and that I must like that! I hate it, but because I hate being associated with their screwup, I sure as heck am going to charge for it. On the other hand, the good crews I work with on a regular basis, I cut them some slack when something happens, that is clearly not their fault. I'm sure most or all here do similar, it's just good business plus I can sleep at night.
hosspuller
Senior Member
From the mantis site: https://www.mantiscranes.com/railroad-specialty/30011-2/
Capacity … 150 ton at 11 feet (136t @ 3.35m) …. 300,000 pounds at 11 feet = 30011 ?
Counterweight (Optional) 25,000 lb (11,340 kg)
Unless I’m asked or the deficiency causes a safety concern, mums the word. I have faith in the building department to pick up any building code violations. And I see lots.
I got a call from a rancher 30 miles away, by air, 45 by road at least due to 8,000' ridges in the way, he had a water tank he needed moved, and as it was close to the power lines wanted me to come look at it first. Close but not that close,
On the way, I overflew a shop truss job I'll be doing Monday, took a picture and texted it the builder. I told him where the best place was for me to set up (NOT right next to the truss pile, as many seem to think is best) and what end of the building we should start on, (the opposite end from the truss pile, so I don't have to lift every single truss up and over the very first truss), these are my two biggest gripes about less then pro builder truss setting jobs. I'll fly at the drop of a hat just for the heck of it, but I really do get a lot of good practical use out of the plane. After landing back home I jumped in the car, hauled butt to my yard, and drove 30 miles the opposite direction to a small town where I made it to my 1:00 truss job, 2 minutes early, good thing as we still worked until dark.
On the way, I overflew a shop truss job I'll be doing Monday, took a picture and texted it the builder. I told him where the best place was for me to set up (NOT right next to the truss pile, as many seem to think is best) and what end of the building we should start on, (the opposite end from the truss pile, so I don't have to lift every single truss up and over the very first truss), these are my two biggest gripes about less then pro builder truss setting jobs. I'll fly at the drop of a hat just for the heck of it, but I really do get a lot of good practical use out of the plane. After landing back home I jumped in the car, hauled butt to my yard, and drove 30 miles the opposite direction to a small town where I made it to my 1:00 truss job, 2 minutes early, good thing as we still worked until dark.
Wow, it has been been a busy year so far.
The Mormon Temple is going up, as are houses all around it, high dollar ones. I did two in this picture that day. Still charged travel time, but it was only 2 minutes worth for the second job.
A few days earlier, working for a farmer building his shop, and the first time I go to swing a truss I see 4 or 5 kids, his, right in the way, as in right below where I'll be swinging. I stopped and made it clear that wasn't going to happen, and we proceeded. A few minutes and a few trusses later, I took this picture, of the kids and the wife running around underneath the 14' (I think it was) high trusses, with Daddy and a helper (both amateur carpenters) crawling above them. We all have seen hammers and other things fall out of tool belts, it happens even to the pro's, I have done my share in the past. At that point I didn't say anything further, figured I'd just be extra careful on my end and hope to hell I didn't see a kid get brained with a falling framing hammer. What a pointless and stupid risk, so stupid I felt less obligated to point it out, again. "Your kids, dude, your problem." Not a great way to look at it but I really didn't want to butt heads with the guy as I
got the impression it was a business as usual day for him and his family.
The Mormon Temple is going up, as are houses all around it, high dollar ones. I did two in this picture that day. Still charged travel time, but it was only 2 minutes worth for the second job.
A few days earlier, working for a farmer building his shop, and the first time I go to swing a truss I see 4 or 5 kids, his, right in the way, as in right below where I'll be swinging. I stopped and made it clear that wasn't going to happen, and we proceeded. A few minutes and a few trusses later, I took this picture, of the kids and the wife running around underneath the 14' (I think it was) high trusses, with Daddy and a helper (both amateur carpenters) crawling above them. We all have seen hammers and other things fall out of tool belts, it happens even to the pro's, I have done my share in the past. At that point I didn't say anything further, figured I'd just be extra careful on my end and hope to hell I didn't see a kid get brained with a falling framing hammer. What a pointless and stupid risk, so stupid I felt less obligated to point it out, again. "Your kids, dude, your problem." Not a great way to look at it but I really didn't want to butt heads with the guy as I
got the impression it was a business as usual day for him and his family.I had a cotter pinned bolt on a certified shackle today back out, start to back out anyway. The nut had fallen off, gone! It has been in service for a couple years, and is used as part of my J hook operation for setting some trusses, some of the time, for some crews. I know cotter pins, and the proper way to install them, I trust my life to them on my airplane all the time, the big difference here was the rough usage. Still it really surprised me to see that somehow, even after being thrown down, walked on, and drug (not by me but by others) that the pin managed to come free. This was the bolt that came with the shackle, nothing home brewed.
I happened to be at a buddies hangar later the same day, a full time aviation mechanic, and he also was kinda shocked that it happened. A great wake up call, obviously I was lax in my rigging inspection and should have caught it earlier, like when (assumingly) the pin was just starting to show signs of abuse. I fessed up to the crew I was working with, and suggested that it would be in their best interests to also keep an eye out for any rigging anomalies, my ultimate responsibility of course but then again, this thing was right in their faces and they didn't notice. I did, from 60' away. Out of three of these j hooks, the other two cotter pin shackle bolts look like the day I installed them, not mangled at all, making this incident even more surprising. If I ever lost a cotter pin in my airplanes control system, and the nut backed off and the bolt came out, I wouldn't be here to write about it. I have never known a castellated/cotter pinned bolt to lose a pin, but again, it must have been a freak abuse, 1 in 1000 issue, still hard to believe though.
I happened to be at a buddies hangar later the same day, a full time aviation mechanic, and he also was kinda shocked that it happened. A great wake up call, obviously I was lax in my rigging inspection and should have caught it earlier, like when (assumingly) the pin was just starting to show signs of abuse. I fessed up to the crew I was working with, and suggested that it would be in their best interests to also keep an eye out for any rigging anomalies, my ultimate responsibility of course but then again, this thing was right in their faces and they didn't notice. I did, from 60' away. Out of three of these j hooks, the other two cotter pin shackle bolts look like the day I installed them, not mangled at all, making this incident even more surprising. If I ever lost a cotter pin in my airplanes control system, and the nut backed off and the bolt came out, I wouldn't be here to write about it. I have never known a castellated/cotter pinned bolt to lose a pin, but again, it must have been a freak abuse, 1 in 1000 issue, still hard to believe though.
DMiller
Senior Member
On critical lifts at the Nuke we had to safety wire Crosby style thru bolt clevis. Can honestly state not ever seen a cross bolt castellated nut cotter pin fail. seen them over exercised/reused and break but not fail.
I also safety wire a lot of plane hardware, so yeah I also thought of that. I have safety wired the hand tightened type shackle bolts, but this application was pretty much a one time deal, and why I went with the threaded and drilled bolt type, as there was little chance I'd need to ever get it off. SO reliable, I got lax on inspection, that won't happen again. I'd kick myself in the butt if I could, I got off easy!
Tags
Senior Member
Don’t take this the wrong way, but it was very hard to focus on the “interesting crane work “in the background while watching a human being fly around with wings and I’m assuming a jet engine on his back....
.....only in Dubai....
.....only in Dubai....
DMiller
Senior Member
Four wing mount Mini Turbines
That video pushed all my buttons, cranes and flying combined! The significance was that's the first public showing of the jet guy not just flying around after leaping from a plane, but making a ground level takeoff. The climb out he did, the speed and the altitude gained, has the general aviation community absolutely blown away, no one had any idea it was that far advanced.
kenh
Senior Member
Very good, he has came a long ways since the first videos.
(Of course the "Ironmans"suit is more advanced)
(Of course the "Ironmans"suit is more advanced)
Tags
Senior Member
I would say you need to have quite a set of cahonies to strap that thing on yourself and light it off, much less flip the switch that gives it full go juice....
terex herder
Senior Member
Or a death wish. Looked to me like a failed attempt at suicide.
I'm still having an issue with my thumb thumper, it appears the problem is the sender in the winch. I pulled it, a pretty easy job, job two allen screws, and took a look at the dipstick thing that engages the center of the winch, and it didn't appear to be broken off: the end of it was square, not busted, near as I can tell. But then when I looked inside the winch, it LOOKED like maybe the slot in there that the sender engages in may have a part of the dipstick in there. Hard to see, I need a bore scope! If it is broke, it is too far in for needle nose pliers to work, even the extra long ones, though I will try that next time. The dipstick is part of the whole assembly, not replaceable by itself, or so it looked anyway. Keep in mind I already spent over $300.00 for that little solenoid that runs the thumper, and this part looks it would be even more expensive. If so, I doubt I'll replace it, I can live without it, but I'll have to
see what happens.
see what happens.After 3 phone calls I never seemed to be able to pin down how far away I'd be from these hollow core pre cast sections, or, once I picked them, how far away I would be expected to set them. The customer is not a pro builder needless to say. So, I begged off and referred him to this outfit and their 80 ton Terex. Since my work today was canceled due to wind, and I had nothing better to do but gawk at others working, I made the 40 mile drive to the site.
Turns out, this was a good thing as I didn't realize he'd be needing a truss setter in a few days, so I now have a lock on that. Also, it was a muddy mess when I first got there, and they needed a tracked skid steer plus a mini excavator to help the rig get up that slope, just barely.
It's always interesting to me to see what all is involved in setting up these larger rigs, and makes me appreciate the simplicity of my operation. The entire counter weight installation operation took longer then it'd take me to do the pick, but of course I COULDN't do the pick!
As you can see, after the semi was also towed into position as close as possible, the pick was a good 50', maybe 60' from the COR, a bit out of my chart, (!) so I made a great call in not taking it on, it would have been a big waste of every ones time. The rigging angle was discussed BTW, and deemed "good enough", as it was all they had, I prefer more, as in about 60 degrees not so close to 45'. The load was 14 K. Looking at a T-80's chart, he was getting out there, if 60' he was good for 17K before deductions. So just right, not major overkill and for sure not too small. This rig is about 1 year old and real clean still, and so much bigger then mine we compliment each other not compete.
Turns out, this was a good thing as I didn't realize he'd be needing a truss setter in a few days, so I now have a lock on that. Also, it was a muddy mess when I first got there, and they needed a tracked skid steer plus a mini excavator to help the rig get up that slope, just barely.
It's always interesting to me to see what all is involved in setting up these larger rigs, and makes me appreciate the simplicity of my operation. The entire counter weight installation operation took longer then it'd take me to do the pick, but of course I COULDN't do the pick!
As you can see, after the semi was also towed into position as close as possible, the pick was a good 50', maybe 60' from the COR, a bit out of my chart, (!) so I made a great call in not taking it on, it would have been a big waste of every ones time. The rigging angle was discussed BTW, and deemed "good enough", as it was all they had, I prefer more, as in about 60 degrees not so close to 45'. The load was 14 K. Looking at a T-80's chart, he was getting out there, if 60' he was good for 17K before deductions. So just right, not major overkill and for sure not too small. This rig is about 1 year old and real clean still, and so much bigger then mine we compliment each other not compete.