caseythompson•23d agoProlific Poster

I used to think a 2-ton lift was fine for a 2.5-ton load if you were careful

I was on a job in Portland last fall, setting a big AC unit on a roof. The rigging plan called for a 2.5-ton lift, but we only had a 2-ton crane on site. I figured we could make it work by going slow. Halfway up, the whole crane started to shake and the load swung hard. My spotter yelled 'It's walking!' as the outriggers shifted. We set it down right away, no damage, but my hands were shaking for an hour. Now I won't even think about pushing a crane past its chart. Has anyone else had a close call that made you stick to the numbers no matter what?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden23d ago

Portland jobs always have some guy playing fast and loose with the specs. Honestly, if the load chart says 2.5 tons and you're at 2 tons, you've got a whole 20% safety buffer right there. The crane isn't going to just fall apart the second you tickle the red line. Kai_webb91's story is about a cable snap, which sounds more like a bad cable or a sharp edge, not just a simple math problem. Sometimes being too careful just costs time and money, and you gotta trust the gear and your own skill to get the job done.

max22322d ago

But what if the load chart itself already has a safety buffer built in? Then you're really cutting it close.

kai_webb9123d ago

Portland crane walks are a free physics lesson nobody wants. I saw a guy try to lift a pallet of cast iron fittings with a hoist rated just under the weight. He said the math was close enough. The cable snapped and dropped it three feet into a concrete pad. The bang was so loud it set off a car alarm down the street. Now I treat those load charts like they're the word of god.