Just some work pics

[crane operator]

Also just brought this home this afternoon, I posted looking at it earlier, and finally bought it. Ford f-450, 7.3 auto. Little crane (4,000lbs lift) and a tommy lift tailgate.

Hoping to use it as a mechanic truck/ support truck. We pull a gooseneck trailer right now with my 70 ton truck with wood, rigging, and block and spreader bar. Going to try to combine all that into this truck, to save pulling a trailer everywhere. Has 256k miles on it, was a propane company truck.

The small crane should help to put offset in my jib when I need to, we scaled out what the jib weighs mounted, when doing offset, and this should pick that.

We'll probably remove some of the sideboards, and add a rack for spreader bar, block, and a fuel tank. Maybe one bigger box for the large cables.

I would like to leave enough open space at the rear to load a manbasket, my pallet forks, or a tire for a roadside tire replacement.

 

[td25c]

The Ford f-450 will sure make a nice addition to the fleet crane op !

The auto crane & lift gate will get used for all sorts of tasks . Nice find !

 

[davo727]

Thanks for the great pics. Time to treat and repaint the upper surface of the 70 ton main boom next time its sitting for a day, probably already on your list.

 

[Tradesman]

Those are some great pictures. That's some nice clean looking carpentry, looks well thought out and tidy. I can be found standing on the top of a step ladder quite often as well, just hope you withhold the name and addresses to protect the innocent. I bet there's a big header over that window under the deck because that's quite a point load on it.
Always love your pictures, I've just been doing simple truss jobs on square buildings lately, nothing picture worthy.

 

[crane operator]

Finished up the steel second story addition today (sunday). Sunday work always messes up my week- I never can remember which day I'm on for the week after. The excavators are showing up tomorrow to pull a old manhole and grease trap for a further extension into where the crane is set up.

 

[Tradesman]

I've been waiting to see this again since you posted the pictures of your crooked tree house, on the other side is crooked windows and door. Pretty kool.

 

[Tradesman]

 

[crane operator]

Cool shed- that would be a ba$^%$ to build.

 

[crane operator]

This one was a little crowded. House service line that the power company wouldn't drop. Water tower, tree and chain link fence. Couldn't set outside the fence, they only have a 15' easement and it's someones lawn on each side.

The building was just off the drivers corner of the front bumper, right beside the brick, white roofed, building, (on the other side of the crane in the picture).

I removed the old 911 repeater shed, and replaced it with a precast concrete box. New box was just under 5k. I had to reach over the powerline to get the new building off the delivery semi truck, swing over the dead tree, then scope back in to swing between the cab and the water tower, then set it down right beside the front bumper.

The power company covered the coated line, I was probably 20' over top of it, but I still don't like reaching over top of power lines, I wouldn't have done it with bare (uncoated)lines, even with the power company approval.

 

[crane operator]

Loading up conexes (11 total), the customer loaded and tied everything down in them, we just put them on the chassis. This was the ride we took down a couple weeks ago. It's all headed to Columbia, South America.

Customer wanted my 70 ton, I told him we could do it quicker and safer with 2 cranes, then you don't have to worry about them being loaded uneven. These were open top containers, and I didn't want to try to drag 40' of rigging down each side of the box, standard conexes you can just walk across the top and rig them.

Heaviest one was 47,000 box and materials. They were headed to Kansas City, to the railroad, to east coast port to boat, South american port, then truck ride to new home.

It was really nice- we had plenty of room to work in the parking lot.

 

[crane operator]

Also got my new A2B cable installed on the rt. Came out right on the $ with the radius when we were done. (Wife's van shucked its alternator in the middle of the project- priority problem)

Also the easter bunny isn't bringing me eggs- I got a new (to me) MAC toolbox! When we got robbed last fall- the thieves messed up a couple drawers on my daily black box ( a home depot husky- held up great for 15 years), now every time I open the old box, and the drawers are messed up, I get mad again about being robbed.

Found this one on craigslist- I could have bought a new craftsman or harbor freight box, for what I gave for this used mac one, but I'm hoping this one will be around a lot longer.

 

[davo727]

How are you possibly going to get that heavy tool box off the truck...? lol

 

[kshansen]

Found this one on craigslist- I could have bought a new craftsman or harbor freight box, for what I gave for this used mac one, but I'm hoping this one will be around a lot longer.

View attachment 167705

Stop don't unload that box, run over to my house and I'll help you!

 

[crane operator]

Stop don't unload that box, run over to my house and I'll help you!

Yeah sure- I bet you'd even let me visit it once in a while wouldn't you?

If you look at what's on the back of the truck- you'll know how my day went today. On the way to Springfield last week, I felt a vibration in the crane. I stopped and checked it out on the way, and found a worn hangar bearing. I went ahead and made it to the jobsite, we set the steel, then I had the hangar bearing replaced, and checked out the driveline. They said it had a slight bend, that they straightened? New hangar bearing, installed, and then my guys found a flat tire, when they put in the driveline.

I sent two of the guys up there today, to change the tire, new tube and flap. I met them after looking at two jobs, and was going to bring the crane home. I got started home, and the vibration was worse than before. Out of gear or throttle and the vibration would go away, but as soon as I would put some power to it the vibration was bad, so I knew it was driveline and not a tire.

No where to get off the road with it, so I limped it to my exit, pulled on the side of the road and gave it another once over. I thought maybe the next piece of driveline maybe was bent also, but we found a little 80/90 by the rear. I climbed under the back tandems, and the input bearing on the rear 3rd member is gone. I limped it another 3 miles to a parking lot I knew of by a gas station and sale barn.

I'm not going to find a tow truck that want's 97k very bad, so I pulled axles, and dropped driveline to the rear member, locked the power divider in, and limped it home. It's always something

I don't know what brand rear ends they are- its a 10' carrier (60,000lbs rears), and I don't think they are rockwell's. I'm thinking clark or something. Kind of nice with the full floating axles, you can pull the axles and put the cap back on. Hopefully we can find parts for the third member, I'm planning to get it up on jacks tomorrow and get it pulled.

 

[lantraxco]

If you're lucky it's just bearings and a seal, parts house items..... I've never been that lucky, but I hear it happens!

 

[kshansen]

Yeah sure- I bet you'd even let me visit it once in a while wouldn't you?

Sure No Problem!

 

[Junkyard]

Or it's like my old 65K double reduction rears and they get to use the word obsolete.... Hopefully bearings and seals. Axle cap looks Clark-ish to me. Fingers crossed....

Junkyard

 

[crane operator]

No tags on the axle that I can find yet, just some #s on the casting. Some of the crane is us/sae (engine trans / detroit eaton) but the hydro is metric (hoses and seals) , air system 1/2 and 1/2. Front suspension is Reyco. The crane was actually built in Japan, with some things shipped from here (early outsourcing). I'm hoping the rears were from here.

 

[crane operator]

Metric bolts in rear housing. Gear shop is looking for gear set- 6.43 ratio. Numbers only on casting, no manufacturer. NSK bearings, japan, my bearing guy is calling monday for confirmation that he can get them. No numbers on pinion seal, he can get a standard wheel seal type seal that I think will work. The ring gear has one bad chip in it, pinion is good. Case is good.

The chip in the ring is probably 1" long, only 1/4" deep, middle of the tooth. If the ring is unobtainium, its getting new bearings and shoved back together.

 

[lantraxco]

Find a good machine shop, I've seen these type of gears welded up with modified stainless (Like Eutectic 680) and recut, you have to really hunt to see the repair. YMMV, not too many guys left out there that will do it.