Just some work pics

[crane operator]

So my drivers license was up for renewal in July. Dept of revenue sent me a nice letter saying I was eligible for a through the mail or online renewal. My wife spent over a hour the last time in line at DMV, so I'm all over not having to go in.

Copies of old license,certified birth cert., voter registration, social sec. card. electric bill sent in to DOR by email, with a credit card # to pay for it. Of course I'm thinking I just fell for some scammer and sent him every form of ID that I could possibly have, and probably just borrowed 4 million dollars to buy bitcoin. But whatever- if I save standing in line for a hour, I'll put all my personal info over the interwebs.

DOR said 7-10 days processing, I wait and wait. I'm a month later and haven't seen anything. I really didn't want my CDL, motorcycle, tanker endorsments all lost, so I break down and call Jefferson City. "Your estimated wait time is 9 minutes 53 seconds etc. etc."

According to nice lady,it had been mailed August 5. On august 14 I'm on the phone with them, and the nice lady tells me "you can go to the license bureau and get a temporary license until it shows up" . It showed up yesterday afternoon.


Stood up a tank earlier this week. Had to drag lowboy and tank up the hill with track loader. Have to set a second tank in a month or so.

 

[crane operator]

Got done just in time too. It rolled in like this as we were setting the tank, we went back to the shop for a couple hours and came back and broke it down after it quit raining.

 

[crane operator]

Pumps this week. One is at golf course, the second is a big temporary pump at a resort for waterfalls.

 

[crane operator]

We had the 40 all set up to transfer this pump to a shorter trailer for access, but the delivery driver thought he could make it, so we didn't have to use it. Truck wasn't showing up until 5:30 on Friday night, so I just went ahead and staged everything I thought I might need. I don't like scrambling around late on Friday. No good place to drop lowboy anywhere close for the RT, so I just took the 100 ton. Didn't bring ctw. but was glad I had the 100 ton because I had to set it a little further away by the pond.

 

[crane operator]

It was just like being on Gold Rush- hooking up water pumps and hoses.

 

[crane operator]

This temporary puts out the water for the waterfall under the bridge we helped build several years ago. Their electric pumps are both down, so this is the solution until they either rebuild them, or put something different in.

It was dark last night, so we only took the 40 ton home, went and got the 100 this morning. Pegged out in 2nd gear in the low range coming out of the bottom.

 

[Welder Dave]

No problems with the new engine in the 100 ton?

 

[crane operator]

No problems with the new engine in the 100 ton?

Runs great, and interesting that you bring it up.

I just got notice this week that liebherr has finally inspected my old engine (which I sent them in February), and I have received a core credit of $20,251.54. That's twenty thousand two hundred fifty one dollars and FIFTY FOUR CENTS..

I swear its the first time in my life that I've gotten a full core credit for anything.

 

[kenh]

That is enough to make you swoon!
Geez, what was the engine price?

 

[Welder Dave]

How many double takes did you do? Still expensive but getting a little over a 1/3rd back has to feel pretty good. Engine must not have been real bad.

 

[crane operator]

Geez, what was the engine price?

It was $65,000 with shipping and tax. Shipped from Germany. They told me up to 1/3 of the old engine would be core value, so they came through on that.

They wanted 1/2 the $$$ up front when I ordered it, and the other 1/2 on delivery. They would then credit me back the core when they looked at my old engine. I didn't pay them the last $20,000 out of the last 1/2. I like to pay my bills, but I told them I would pay it when they told me what my core was worth. They were a little pi$$y about it, "it has to go all the way to germany, they are staying home for covid, they might not look at it for a while, etc. etc". I just didn't feel like giving them all the $$ with that kind of core value.

 

[crane operator]

Engine must not have been real bad.

My engine guy here said bearings were spun in the block, liebherr has the ability to line bore the whole thing, they own the engine company in switzerland that builds their engines.

My other option was a large crane company here in the us that has their own engine shop. They quoted me $50,000 for exchange, and they would charge me whatever extra was required to bring my core up to rebuildable. Which they said could be up to $25,000. So they were really $75,000 total if they junked my motor, so I went with the factory reman.

 

[Tags]

It was just like being on Gold Rush- hooking up water pumps and hoses

I find it hard to belive that anything you do is laced with false drama and staged situations with awful equipment and truck sound effects added....so I'd imagine it was nothing like gold rush

Great news on the core credit too, nice to hear about a company that follows through.

 

[Welder Dave]

On Gold Rush the mechanic came along and deleted the DEF in a couple hours like it was routine maintainence. Still a lot money but nice to get full credit for the core.

 

[crane operator]

I got turned out of a location this afternoon. I was there to look at a little project, and they temp check everyone before entering the facility. I call the guy I'm meeting, he comes out and IR temp guns my forehead. 101.3

He asks if I've been in the sun. Yes, all day. Checks me again, still 101. I can't be let in. He says "look" and temp checks his own forehead- to show me that the gun is working. 101.

He laughs, and shakes his head. Goes inside to find another temp gun, which we both test OK on, and into the facility we go.

 

[AzIron]

I got turned out of a location this afternoon. I was there to look at a little project, and they temp check everyone before entering the facility. I call the guy I'm meeting, he comes out and IR temp guns my forehead. 101.3

He asks if I've been in the sun. Yes, all day. Checks me again, still 101. I can't be let in. He says "look" and temp checks his own forehead- to show me that the gun is working. 101.

He laughs, and shakes his head. Goes inside to find another temp gun, which we both test OK on, and into the facility we go.

We did sticker of the day at a couple jobs it's kinda a joke after 2 weeks they all look the same

 

[4x4ford]

Plant where I load the employees get one with the date when they get their temp checked me as a driver I don’t get checked for anything lol

 

[Natman]

I got checked on a job at the local Indian Reservation the other day, a guy with a clip board came towards me, always a bad sign! I thought I was going to have to sketch out a lift plan (to set 4 wood trusses, 30' away, 40' span), but he just had a series of questions about how I felt, and then he temp checked me and we were good to go.

 

[crane operator]

So late on Friday, some guy calls and needs help on Saturday. Pulling a debris box for replacement. He calls the first time at 6:00, discuss rates, what crane, has to be saturday, truck isn't driveable very far b/c it has head gasket out, its at his mechanic shop, got to go get his lowboy from arkansas to haul it- the whole life drama- but he doesn't want to commit to do it on saturday ,

10:00pm Friday night- he calls, "lets do Saturday".

I'm busy in the morning getting 100 ton moved, and other stuff, so we set it up for 1:30. I call him before I leave town, the problems don't stop: "do you have a torch and electric on your truck? I can't find any power and need to get the mudflaps and mount bolts out. I've got most of them." No buddy, this isn't a mechanic truck, its a crane, but I can bring another guy and equipment if you need it. "No- no- I about got it, I'll meet you there"

I should have just stayed home.

Of course I get there- no grapple truck, but the lowboy is there. He was all worried about price, and I told him its by the hour OT, etc. and he's not there. 1/2 hr later he rolls in.

Guess how many u-bolts were out. Whatever number you guessed was too high. I have to crawl around and help unbolt all the u-bolts, and it was hot hot out at 3:00 on a blacktop parking lot.

Got box off, of course there's like 1" of clearance total between the cab and the grapple, I can't see either end, and he stands there and doesn't give any signals. I also needed to explain my crane doesn't have a rotater like his grapple to spin the box to set it on the lowboy. Break down crane- write ticket and hand it to him- "Do you give a discount if I pay in cash?"

Yeah buddy, I just crawled all over under your truck and unbolted it on my saturday afternoon on blazing asphalt- and I'm just in a great mood for giving out discounts. I should have just added another $300 to the ticket.

 

[crane operator]

So I've been out on a truss and wood beam job for a couple days,and I get to the shop this morning. Guys have been busy prepping the counterweight truck for flatbed, I had them cut some oak for spacers between the frame and flatbed.

They got a little carried away though- they had drilled and trailer deck screwed the oak to the top flanges of the frame rail. Never mind the "Do not drill or weld to flanges"

Fortunately, they are just 1/4" holes, centered in the flange. And what's done is done. The oak was cut too narrow also, wouldn't catch the upright of the flatbed. But I guess at least they were trying. With u-bolts holding down the bed, I don't know where they thought the wood was going to go to.

I could weld the holes shut, but that might make more problems than just the hole with a hard trailer deck screw in it. I think I'm just going to have them cut new wood and screw it back down. If it cracks I'll deal with it then. Not much else I can do now. Everyone now has learned not to drill flanges.....