Just some work pics

[crane operator]

Problem was in the valve stack in one of the 40t linkbelt. Got that fixed, winches are now back working again, but still slow and not getting full line pull. So there's something else still jacked up there.

KW was close to running, its all back together, but the guys said it isn't showing oil pressure, so still chasing down that.

Western star has a clutch control arm out of it at the moment, waiting on some parts for it.

I have invested in two little toys that we're going to try to get hooked up. One is a camera system for the boom and winches, the other is a tire pressure monitoring system. Natman's love of his camera has got me curious enough to try one. The tire monitoring- maybe it will save some tire issues in hot weather, and spot a low tire before it shows visually.

Pictures are the 90 ton setting some steel, one of the 40 tons replacing the roof trusses that blew down the first time. Setting some floor joists and beams the other day.

 

[crane operator]

Went to indiana a week or so ago. Spotted two spools of 3/4" cable at $1 per foot, so made a run to purchase it.

About 1/2 way to st. louis I was like "I smell fuel".. It went away, but came back with a vengance. I got pulled over and to a small diesel shop, and replaced a return line. It looked like old faithful under the hood, it was spraying fuel pretty good. Luckily it didn't get enough on the hot turbo to get a fire going.

Made for a nice ride on the 550 headed home. Good thing, because the interstate in indiana is on a par with southern oklahoma for smooth road conditions. They are terrible.

 

[CM1995]

Haven't had the best luck lately with trusses on projects. Both of these blew down in the last two months. Both went down 3-4 days after we left. I think both were underbraced, especially the walls. Both were around 70' long, but one set was vaults, and you have to brace the dickens out of those.

View attachment 311165View attachment 311166View attachment 311167

Bet the builders risk agent is none to happy with those two projects.

 

[Welder Dave]

That break looks like it could have been higher carbon steel, maybe a flaw in the steel. In another thread I mentioned grain structure for flat bar goes lengthwise and plate goes in multiple directions. The grain structure only going in 1 direction may have contributed to the break. It is an odd break, like it suddenly just snapped.

 

[crane operator]

Bet the builders risk agent is none to happy with those two projects.

Separate customers. One was to replace a hay barn that burnt down, and from what I heard, the owner/ farmer turned it in on his insurance- and they were covering it. That insurance company may go after the builder, but I haven't heard anything about that yet.

The other one, the trusses are still all laying in a tangled mess, and I think its headed for ugly business, lots of finger pointing.

 

[Welder Dave]

Went to indiana a week or so ago. Spotted two spools of 3/4" cable at $1 per foot, so made a run to purchase it.

About 1/2 way to st. louis I was like "I smell fuel".. It went away, but came back with a vengance. I got pulled over and to a small diesel shop, and replaced a return line. It looked like old faithful under the hood, it was spraying fuel pretty good. Luckily it didn't get enough on the hot turbo to get a fire going.

Made for a nice ride on the 550 headed home. Good thing, because the interstate in indiana is on a par with southern oklahoma for smooth road conditions. They are terrible.

View attachment 311180

Good thing it's a diesel truck. Sounds similar to what happened on my track loader but in my case it was a defective fuel filter that developed a tiny pinhole spraying diesel under pressure all over the firewall and exhaust manifold. Gas I think I might have lost the machine. Even with a fire extinguisher it would be hard to put out with the engine side shields on.

 

[crane operator]

it suddenly just snapped.

It did, when I was jacking around on the trailer with it not fully slid trying to get the carry deck off. The trailer didn't care for having 35,000 of carry deck putting it in a bind, and finally the top flange went. I think the bottom had been cracked for a while.

 

[Welder Dave]

It must have been restrained that it had no way to bend. Still could have been the wrong type of steel for the application. It snapped pretty clean.

 

[HATCHEQUIP]

Was it high winds on the trusses ? Had a lot around here
What is that building with the all terrain and manlift

 

[Natman]

Those building collapses, as an old carpenter, break my heart. On the other hand..., maybe they learned something from it and next time will brace them better. I think some don't get that going just a bit bigger span and a little higher walls, seems to expotentially increase the forces involved. Like the way the force of a 20 mph wind is FOUR TIMES the force of a 10 mph wind, not just double, at least that's what I've heard as a pilot. If you were done and gone for a few days, you probably won't be blamed, good for you! No one hurt?

 

[Tugger2]

Ive done very little truss work as the truss outfits around here all have thier own picker trucks for the small stuff. But i did do the trusses for my own 28X60 shop on the ground and sheeted them and completed most of the finish work. Roofers did the shingles after we placed the sections on the walls.I did another shop for a friend in one piece including roofing . Both went very well . A large dairy farmer down island from me has done a few huge barns by building the roof in sections on the ground . It takes a bigger crane and some fore thought on the rigging ,but from what ive seen its a great way to complete a roof. Plus it eliminates a lot of the tie off and working at Heights that framers are always getting in trouble over.

 

[Welder Dave]

You need to plan for high winds or bad weather because if you don't you'll have problems. Trying to be in a hurry to stay ahead of the weather and not putting enough enough braces in is what caused some massive steel girders to buckle on a bridge project here. They had to bring a 550 ton crane to remove the buckled girders. If I recall there are only 2 of these cranes in Canada or it might have been only 2 in N. America. Not cheap, they had to bring the crane in in sections and also put mats down because it is so heavy. Better to take a little longer to brace better than take chances the weather cooperates.

 

[crane operator]

No one hurt?

no injuries, both sites empty overnight when they came over.

 

[crane operator]

What is that building with the all terrain and manlift

Old unused building at a amusement park. Had to get creative with getting the crane in there. Building has been there for 30 years, and the trees have all grown up around it.

 

[terex herder]

Be interested to see what your thoughts are on the tire pressure monitoring system. I've got a couple of trailers I put Cats Eyes on and I like them, but you still have to look at them. Two trailers have the onboard inflation system. That system is cheap on a new trailer but I don't think I could afford to retrofit it to an existing trailer.

 

[crane operator]

I don't like tying duals together with a cat's eye. Then if I get a flat, having duals doesn't really help much. Now I've just got two flat tires instead of one. Or do you just have indicators for each tire?

 

[terex herder]

Duals tied together. Cats eyes shut off at 60#, iirc. Its 6 of one, half dozen of the other. My trailers are almost all occasional use, 10 months setting, 2 months working hard/long with occasional neglected maintenance.

 

[crane operator]

Got another 40 t grove. Auction purchase. Going to give it a whirl tomorrow on a tree job.

This 40 t is to help out while one of the link belt 40's gets some work. The older of the two needs a head gasket and is going to get a paint job. I'm tired of it being a sun faded orange that almost looks pink, so its getting painted.

KW with engine issues was put back together, but now its putting fuel in the pan, new orings going on injectors tomorrow with fingers crossed.

Been busy working.

Small concrete batch plant.

 

[crane operator]

Lid for a lift station we set a while back. It was low range getting back out of there, road takes off to the left in the driving picture. We had to drag the generator delivery truck around the corner with a track loader, he was just sliding down the hill and couldn't turn because of the angle.

Fuel tanks and a prefab gas station building. We set the fuel tanks, but couldn't handle the prefab building, I think they were over 70,000lbs per half, and couldn't set very close.

 

[skyking1]

what did they use to set the prefab?