Last Tuesday in Grand Rapids was the worst day I've had on a crane all year

Blew a hydraulic line on the knuckleboom right as I was setting a 50 foot oak log over a house. Oil everywhere, had to hand rig everything down with block and tackle, took me 4 hours extra. Client was cool about it but my foreman was not happy. Has anyone else had a hydraulic failure throw off their whole schedule like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.miles1mo ago

Man that really stinks. I had a similar thing happen last fall when a quick-connect fitting let go on my Palfinger. The thing that helped me was I always carry a couple of those cheap harbor freight ratchet straps and a small come-along. I used the come-along to take the weight off the boom while I swapped the line. Saved me from having to hand rig everything like you did. Those hydraulic blowouts are the worst when you're in a tight spot over a house.

the_tessa1mo ago

Omg @park.miles is totally right about the come-along thing. Ngl I had a fitting blow last summer on a 25t boom truck and I was kicking myself for not having one handy. Ended up using a chain and a snatch block to take the weight off, but it was a mess. Hydraulic blowouts over houses are a special kind of nightmare.

the_wade1mo ago

Dang man, been there. Had a line pop on me over a driveway last spring. Total nightmare.