Just some work pics

[crane operator]

And for you eagle eyed viewers- the short/long truss job- that's my RT in the background.

My operator started with the RT, and a too short spreader bar. Everyone else was busy, so he had to go back to the shop, and load big spreader bar on the gooseneck, and then back to the jobsite.

Gets back to the jobsite, and blows a hose on the RT. Under the cab, in a big bundle of hoses. They struggled around for a little while trying to find and fix it, but I told them to just park it up the hill, and go get another crane to finish.

It was a monday job.

Looks like your shop foreman is either saying, hold on let me check it out first or what are you bringing more crap home for?

She's just worried I'll spend to much on old truck parts and won't be able to buy dog treats.

 

[Camshawn]

Does your shop helper borrow your tools? We had one that would pick up wrenches while I was under the truck and drop them out in the grass. Her favourite was a 7/16ths. Cam

 

[crane operator]

Does your shop helper borrow your tools? We had one that would pick up wrenches while I was under the truck and drop them out in the grass. Her favourite was a 7/16ths. Cam

She loves plastic water bottles. She'll stand by you and whine while you're drinking one, because she wants it. She'll drag them off to her hill and chew them to pieces. Gloves once in a while.

She also likes the little plastic cap off a brake clean can- she'll run around chewing it making it pop and crack, just having a ball.

 

[JaredV]

New one for me- 4 ply girders, and a 8 ply. I don't know who the engineer was, but setting a 8 ply and a 4 ply girder- in the middle of a garage header- doesn't look like a great idea to me.

But I don't get paid to design, just to set them.

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My house has two of those big girders but they've got 6x6 under them and 48" pads under the footing. There are no load bearing walls so supposedly I can gut the downstairs if I ever want to without compromising structural integrity.

 

[Natman]

When I see girders tying into other girders, with lots of teco nails and expensive hanger/brackets, I wonder whatever happened to the building concept of direct bearing? Second thought is, the engineers and architects are just showing off. Third thought is, wow, what a complicated and expensive way to keep the rain out. Fourth thought is I don't care, as it means more time onsite for me the more complicated they get.

Setting trusses the other day, between two girders, hangars on both, for one of my favorite customers, I asked him how much room he gave between the girders. So many jobs I'm on, if the truss dropping into the hangars spans 30', they'll set the girders 30' apart, making every insertion a struggle for both carpenters plus me (think I'm down, but just bound up in the hangar) This better builder sets the girder 1/2" further apart, making the job much easier for all, with no loss of strength. This is the way I used to build, so I consider it the right way! He also final nails girders after I'm outa there, just a couple at first, enough to keep it on layout, the top bracing being more important, so many jobs I'm on they nail the heck out of the girder base, then 5 minutes later discover it's misplaced, as if more nails in the base are going to make it more stable. I also used to "open" up the hangars a bit by a tap with a hammer, so the hangar is flared a bit on top, acting like a funnel for the truss, the same crews that set their girders too tight also never seem to know that trick. Stuff like that used to drive me crazy as a carpenter myself when I got into crane work , now after 23 years I have the right attitude: if they want the job to take longer, it's on them, just more money for me, still bugs me to see things done inefficiently though!

I also see a lot of girders nailed together on uneven ground, then bafflement when I lift it into position, and it's bowed,
the bow is "nailed in." Usually the same crews who set them too close, nail the heck out of them and don't open their hangars, and now that i think about it, they are also the slowest paying!

 

[renovator]

New one for me- 4 ply girders, and a 8 ply. I don't know who the engineer was, but setting a 8 ply and a 4 ply girder- in the middle of a garage header- doesn't look like a great idea to me.

But I don't get paid to design, just to set them.

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No more wall walking for framers in New Mexico. We have the "6' Rule." Anything over 6' has to be tied off or on a ladder. Took the fun out or framing.

 

[Welder Dave]

Some people don't like wearing fall protection for what seems like simple tasks but the rules are there for a reason. I used to build large oilfield tanks and pressure vessels where would you have to climb on top to weld fittings on. A fall harness was never required and nobody ever thought much about it. Fast forward about 15 or so years and was saddened to see on the news a welder had fallen off a vessel and hit his head and died. It could have happened to anyone. In this case it was even worse because the guys son was also a welder at the same shop who had gone home earlier that day after his day shift ended. The accident happened around supper time. One contributing factor may have been that the guy had a couple drinks before his shift and there were trace amounts of pot in his system. Not enough to be legally impaired but maybe enough to cloud his judgement for a split second. Still a fall harness would have saved his life. Company was charged for not providing proper safety apparatus and ensuring it is used. Bad things can happen in the blink of sn eye.
I remember being up on a big tank and it shook when a test plug blew out of a tank across the shop. I was lucky the test plug didn't hit me and knock me off the tank. The test plug is basically a thick rubber band on 2 opposing cones that tightens with a wing nut. I was a little scared when it happened. The plug blew about 30 feet. Tank being tested at about 2 PSI but it was a 400bbl tank so a lot of volume of air to come out a 3 inch opening all at once.

 

[skyking1]

It's no accident that the heaviest beam in my new house is 330 pounds and I will set it all with a forklift.

 

[crane operator]

Bucking to get into the overload of the day thread.

22' wide, 40' long, 22,000lbs. Luckily, I was only on college campus. No public roads.

 

[crane operator]

Had a audience, tv camera's, and even a drone in the air.

Even got asked to move the truck, because it was too noisy for their interview. No problem- we're done here!

 

[crane operator]

Coming along on the KW project. 20k axle is in. Fleet pride sent wrong U bolts so waiting on them yet.

Rear lift axle is on, steer lift axle is close. One of my guys is a good fabricator, and him and my mechanic have really been making headway.

Double steer boxes came with a water to oil cooler for the power steering, which was a new one for me. You can see it mounted on the drivers side frame rail.

Those lift axle controls truckshop recommended are $$. Fleet pride told me $700+ each. Looking at options for that.

 

[crane operator]

Jaw flip at the quarry.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Double steer boxes came with a water to oil cooler for the power steering, which was a new one for me. You can see it mounted on the drivers side frame rail.

Where do you get the water for that? Is there someplace "cool" to get the water after the pump but before it runs all through the engine?

 

[crane operator]

Customer made breakwater floats from 40' conexes. Dock floats on frames in the top of the conex, 3" of poured concrete in the bottom for ballast. Loaded in a separate lot, unloaded on the ramp, and pushed them into the water.

 

[crane operator]

Where do you get the water for that? Is there someplace "cool" to get the water after the pump but before it runs all through the engine?

I just tied it into the antifreeze (water) lines that go to the cab heater. That water is circulating, and the cooler is in the oil return line from steering boxes to reservoir. I think the idea is to keep the steering oil in the 200 degree range with water cooling.

 

[Truck Shop]

Most twin steer use a pump in the range of a Vickers 20. Low speeds with fare amount of turning
heats the oil fast.

Do you dirt track that yellow Star on the weekends? lol

 

[crane operator]

Do you dirt track that yellow Star on the weekends? lol

It came with the wing, and the tall stacks. I was always going to pull it off, because it looks dumb, but then I'd have to seal all the holes in the roof. And I'm too tight to buy new stacks, just for aesthetics.

I don't think the wing helps much, especially as we rarely hit more than 50.

I didn't change the pump on the KW, I thought I would see how this one did, and if it won't keep up, then go junkyard crawling.

 

[crane operator]

Hi- my name is crane operator, and I'm a toolaholic.

In my defense, they are all bigger than 1 1/4" and less than 2" in size and it was $70 for 9 of them. Mostly williams and some armstrong.

They ain't shiny chrome, but they'll turn fittings.

 

[crane operator]

Lift station install. Excavation guys gave up on the breaker and had the blasting boys come in.

 

[crane operator]

They got a little hard on the excavator. Said this is the second time in 3 months this has let loose.

The pool boys at a different site had their afternoon job going well also.