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new ride

Tradesman

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Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
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Contractor
I use shackles often to choke a long strap, like you used the spud wrench. The carpenters usually don't get it at first, and always want me to winch clear down so they can reach my load hook, and I have to yell at them to just undo the shackle, then they get it. Depending on the job, it saves a lot of winching up and down.
My framer clients love my remote release. Most of them are four men crews one on the ground one on the subfloor and two in the trusses. One guy in the trusses will set the truss at the plate and the other will tie the truss in half way to the peak then at the plate. As soon as the truss is adequately secured I get the single to release and neither one ever needs to go near the centre of the truss, it saves a lot of time and reduces the risk of a fall. A couple weeks ago I had to set some long shallow trusses that required two hitch points so we couldn’t use the remote ( I’m not buying a second one) it was like taking a kids favourite toy away723DE4E1-C0D0-4E84-8670-A1C9795BAA6D.jpeg
 
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Tradesman

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
Occupation
Contractor
Interesting! That's how I'm quickly starting to feel about my camera system. What brand of release is that again?
Gotcha they’re made in Quebec. I’ll find a link for them and pm you.
 

Tradesman

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
Occupation
Contractor
It’s been all about the wind mills lately.
The first picture is for an off grid house, he already had the head installed and said it had to stay on and by the way it cost $10,000 so don’t damage it. The second pic is an old wind mill I pulled down for a Mennonite neighbour he had a buyer for it.
The third picture is the same tower I posted a picture of in the spring. One of the bolts in the new prototype smaller blades sheared off letting the blade swing around chopping at the large blade and down it came. You can see it sticking in the ground on the bottom right hand corner of the picture.
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Tradesman

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
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Contractor
Setting a 120 ft tower it took a couple towers to get there with the new climber but we’ve got it down pretty good now. The top 40 feet I have to hook onto just above centre then it hangs about four feet out of plumb, I swing into them and the head connector grabs the tower and turns it to the proper orientation then I slowly raise it to about a foot above the tower, swing it in to place they spud two legs I lower it till it just touches then they put one bolt in each leg then I stand it up straight. I don’t think anyone on the ground watching realizes watch a delicate dance the climbers and I do.
second picture I was playing with the big boys.I was setting door and window lintels, the link belt was setting core slabs on the same building as me and the other crane was setting core slabs on the building next door. The link belt was hooked to some precast for the elevator shaft in the picture.
The last picture I am hooked to the base section, when I stand them up they climb the goose neck on the trailer I can’t always do it this nice but it was my day to shine ( place smart azzed comment here )
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Natman

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Dec 19, 2016
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Those tower monkeys are always impressive, it's pretty humbling when you realize they are are trusting YOU with THEIR lives. And they are getting paid less.
 

Tradesman

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
Occupation
Contractor
tradesman... How does one stabilize trusses without blocking the next ones for the crane ?
Most guys use 22 3/8” spacers and block between trusses. I use pre-marked 2x4’s never sticking them out more than one extra truss.
I never say anything unless they create an impossible situation. Most crews that start out this way figure it out before long that it doesn’t save any time. One case that I won’t let them do it is on large trusses like over 50ft. with the ties on the top of the rafter because the only way I can get them in is to set the truss down and drag it under the 2x4, the big trusses will fold in half if you try that.
But most of the time I just let them do what they want unless it’s unsafe. Too much unsolicited advice usually isn’t appreciated.
Ps. Those straps where hanging out 8 ft. As you can see in the picture it two of them to get it nailed. I give these men credit they stuck to it till the end.
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,275
Location
sw missouri
You're the one with the fancy release on the cable. That gives those carpenters all kinds of time to think of stupid bracing scenario's. If you keep them busy hooking and unhooking, they don't have time to dream up stupid stuff like this.

Really, they just need to keep attaching 16' ers to the top chord, so they droop down nice. One on each side. That's my favorite. Saves cutting up all that wood.
 

Natman

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Dec 19, 2016
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We, at least about 95% of the builders here, use the stamped metal stabilizers, my personal favorite as a crane guy. Fast, but they are not particularly cheap. If I was still playing carpenter, and I was the one paying for material, I'd earmark the jobsite lumber not good for much else (bowed, twisted, etc.) set it aside, and before the crane showed have it cut to blocking length. I'm seeing more and more of the battery operated nail guns, those things are super handy for truss work. When do I get the rare job using drooping 2 bys on top, I just keep repeating to myself "I'm working by the hour."
 

Tradesman

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
1,075
Location
Ontario
Occupation
Contractor
I sat here for a hour waiting for the guy to go get a quick cut to shorten the beams, and the when he came back without it we got in his pickup and went to my job sight and got mine.
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The view out my office window
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I held this ridge beam in place while the hacks building this multi million dollar house cut it to fit with a chain saw. We have a really bad shortage of journeyman
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