Just some work pics

[crane operator]

Little truss job from friday afternoon. Knepptune jinxed me- mud and slope.



This was the jack on the slope, the jack in front of it was on the back filled mud, both of them on the lifting side. I built out plywood sheets and 2x6's under my pads to hold the front one.



Oh- trees in the way too.



These guys have some steel stands they mount on the wall, then we put 1/2 a bunk of sheeting up there. Saves some packing.

 

[crane operator]

Sunday morning, loading rocks. Biggest one was 16,500lbs. They were going inside the building behind the crane, for one of the displays. Winch truck worked great for roading them around the building, had to pull in one of the mirrors to get in the door on the other side.



Set a conex monday, 40' empty, going to be storage for a welding shop



Set some wood beams out on a ridge by the lake this afternoon, after some quarry work this morning. It was a picture perfect day.

 

[Tradesman]

These guys have some steel stands they mount on the wall, then we put 1/2 a bunk of sheeting up there. Saves some packing.

View attachment 160683[/QUOTE]
Those stands look great, would save a lot of work. and would likely cut right on the pile no working on your knees

 

[crane operator]

Maiden trip for the Western Star and detach trailer. I was worried, but everything worked. Had to set trusses at this house, and no way were we climbing a truck crane up off the street. 90-95' radius. Used all the cribbing we had.



The front left jack is extended maybe 2". I think I could stand under the right rear beam.



I was also worried about where one of the other cranes was this morning. I've had my 35 in this hole, but it's really a tight fit. This is a little mechanical hole between a older,a less old, and a newer building at the hospital. Steam pipe, generators, chiller units, curbs,transformers, and a right angle alley to back into. There's also a steam and electrical overhead tray up on the 2nd floor, that crosses the middle of the alley.

We were replacing 2 of the large coils in the chillers. One of them didn't go in, they shipped the wrong one.

I took this picture from the top of the trailer.



The overhead steam/electrical tray is straight off the corner of the brick building, by the gate, running over the truck and trailer to the building on the left. You have to back the trailer in far enough that 1/2 the load is past the steam tray.

 

[crane operator]

Some more pictures of the little out of level spot we had the rt in the other day.






In order to get that much cribbing under one corner, you need to telescope out a bunch of boom over the opposite jack, then teeter-totter the crane to pick the back jack up. They don't show you that in the crane manuals.



You have to do the same thing to remove your cribbing when tearing down.

 

[crane operator]

Hard to tell from the pictures, but it ends up being a christmas tree. About 60' tall, has flashing rotating lights, that move with the music being played from the speakers inside it. Looks pretty neat at night.





A/C unit change out.



Took this after our maiden voyage.



Just before we ended up doing a little more work on the trailer:

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.co...w-trailer-kicked-my-(youknowwhat)-today/page2

 

[Knepptune]

How are you liking your truck/trailer combo so far? Or is the anger at the trailer still to fresh to have an opinion?

If your getting those kind of setup spots I can see the rt being necessary. I'm kinda surprised you have to run the boom out over the opposite corner to get that up there. I kinda thought on those RT's, that they were easier to just three leg up there and be done. But the rt700 we had, we only owned it for a very short time and never did any jobs with it. Is it mostly a balance issue. I can't see that frame being very flexible. It is a grove after all. .

 

[crane operator]

Truck/ trailer combo:

Truck seems to run great. Valve cover gaskets and new grommets for the valve cover bolts have tamed down the oil leaks. Got the engine brakes working (hold really well too).

The trailer is actually pretty easy to hook up and unhook. I had planned on building a pinning trailer, but I don't think I could pin and unpin as quickly as this loads and unloads. Still learning to keep my truck straight to the trailer, when I drop, it makes it easier to hook back up.

As far as the issues with the trailer-its a used trailer. I didn't want to spend $60-80 grand for a new trailer. Most used trailers that age (mines a '96) , they want $28-35,000 used.

This 1996 talbert brought 16,000 at auction by me, and it had serious problems (and it wasn't long enough or a triple axle):https://www.purplewave.com/auction/160915/item/K5736









So I guess I could have had that mess instead of mine.

I gave 17,500, spent a $1,000 doing bearings and seals. The shaft I'm now replacing is only $100. And a day and 1/2 tear down. I'm still under $20,000. Rubber's pretty good, brakes have got some shoes left.

I still think I did okay. It could use a paint job, and a set of spring brake cans (no spring brakes right now, only has parking brakes until the air bleeds away).

I think it will make it much easier to use the crane for more sites, if I don't have to call someone else in to haul it, for a 4 hour job.

It is 102,000lbs, 10' wide, with a 51' long trailer, so its not exactly fun driving around, but I'm happy.

RT :

It doesn't have much outrigger power, you can't just three legged it. I need to check that relief setting (jacks). It works like it is though, and I've been too busy to mess with it.

That said, the rig is almost balanced, not boom heavy, or counterweight heavy, so you really have to swing and tip it, to jack up very high. I've only got 16 wood blocks on it though, and I've been in some pretty crooked spots and not needed any extra wood, its got quite a bit of stroke on the jacks.

The hydraulics seem kind of strange on that rig. Some things-like boom up and down are really fast. Rear steering works great, front steering from the wheel is weak. Jacks are weak. Swing is slow (acts like gearbox drag, or spring pack). Telescope and winches are great.
When I write it all out like that- it looks like a bad section in the pump, but I know the steering has it's own pump, not sure how everything else is separated out. Winter projects.

 

[crane operator]

Back at the video board today, its turning into my retirement plan.



I've got very little complaints about that site, its flat, and its a big open parking lot for jib and dead stick. Maybe a crane with 140' of live power boom and 110' radius capacity for manbasket work? Then I wouldn't need all that parking lot to put crane together. (see, I can always find something to complain about, the best operators look for the easy way to do something, we're all lazy)



Thought I'd show these I-beam clamps I got a while back:





They're good for 9,000 lbs capacity at any angle of pull. They will go over a I beam with a 11-12" wide top flange. I bought them used off ebay, we've used them a bunch on our 10 story building.

Its nice not to worry if the steel choker is going to slip. They are a little heavy, but if you leave them hang, and just loosen the bolt and pop the pin, you can let the crane take the weight.

We still steel choker a lot of the iron, but these work great for the bigger beams. Also for dropping stuff down a stairwell/elevator shaft, where it might hit something and loosen a choker.

 

[crane operator]

I get to set in this spot twice a year. Put jib on in the open area in front of the crane, drive ahead making a hard right onto the railroad tracks, then back down the tracks.




Once in there I put dead stick out, then reach 115' over the corner.





The trees are a little in the way, and they get worse each year.

 

[crane operator]

Little diesel switcher engine. Has a 4-71 detroit. 26,000lbs.

 

[crane operator]

We were going to transfer these standing seam roof crates, to a smaller trailer in a different lot. Instead we backed the semi through the timber, then set two bundles on one roof, then the other two in front of the other building.






Crates were around 3-4,000lbs

 

[crane operator]

A little winch truck and rt action. Unfortunately its at the yard. There's two flow valves at the but end of section two, and they've been leaking a little.

You've got to swing jib to get it out of the way, then work through the porthole. The winch truck is just our work platform, makes it nicer than standing on a ladder.




Steel building with the 35. I'm probably taking the rt down for the rest of the job, I'll be moving a lot back and forth in the parking lot, it would be easier to move and take up less room.

 

[crane operator]

Finished this up on the lowboy today. It had just regular brake cans, and the valve that would close off the air in the brake lines when you parked it, for parking brakes. Which is great until the air slowly bleeds off, then when you try to hook up to it two days later, you get to play chase the trailer.

We added a set of spring brakes to the rear axle, and a new valve to control it. I think just cans on one axle should hold the trailer.

Old style




New set up

 

[handtpipeline]

Finished this up on the lowboy today. It had just regular brake cans, and the valve that would close off the air in the brake lines when you parked it, for parking brakes. Which is great until the air slowly bleeds off, then when you try to hook up to it two days later, you get to play chase the trailer.

We added a set of spring brakes to the rear axle, and a new valve to control it. I think just cans on one axle should hold the trailer.

Old style

View attachment 161354


New set up

View attachment 161353

I've got a couple of trailers I want to put spring brakes on at least one axle for the same reason. One is a tandem dovetail lowboy, the other is a tri-axle folding neck lowboy. Do you know a part number for the new valve you had to install for this? Or is it just called a spring brake valve?

 

[walkerv]

I've got a couple of trailers I want to put spring brakes on at least one axle for the same reason. One is a tandem dovetail lowboy, the other is a tri-axle folding neck lowboy. Do you know a part number for the new valve you had to install for this? Or is it just called a spring brake valve?

It appears this is the valve he is using One Midland Style FF2 Full Function Trailer Valve 28601 Valve unsure if there are different part numbers for diff crack pressures on this valve its been awhile since i messed with one can be got from midland or haldex unsure if anyone else makes the FF2 valve yet (this valve runs the spring brakes and the service brakes

 

[handtpipeline]

Thank you. I don't have any trailers new enough to have come with spring brakes to look at one of them... In fact, these two lowboys are the newest trailers I have. Both are 1981 models. Tandem is a Holden 35 ton and Tri axle is a Phelan 50 ton.

 

[crane operator]

I'll dig out the ticket tomorrow, I just told my supplier (fleet pride) what I was doing and asked them what I needed. They supplied the valve, I had the brakes sitting on the shelf.

 

[crane operator]

AV28600 FF2 full function valve 3/4" res. $131

Valve installed directly onto tank- has ports for both spring and service brakes like walkerv pointed out.

 

[crane operator]

Hot tubs! Hot tubs! got your hot tubs right here!



Tradesman isn't the only one setting them. He no more than posted his pictures and I got the call to replace this one this week. I actually set this one originally a couple months ago. It's got something wrong with it, so they sent a new one.



Technically its a swim spa 7' x 14'. About 3,500lbs



Had to back up about a mile down the gravel road to get into the yard, there was no where else to turn around. Put the old girl in direct and tried to stay between the ditches. Hazards on, and hope none of the three neighbors wanted out.