Just drove past a job site in Tampa where they had the mobile crane set up on a slope I wouldn't touch with a 50 ft pole

The operator was already lifting and I could see the outriggers weren't fully extended on the low side. Has anyone else ever called out a sketchy setup like that or am I just getting paranoid in my old age?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth27613d ago

Heard a story from a buddy who saw a crane tip on a slight hill in Clearwater and the load swung right into a pickup. He said the operator got fired on the spot, so yeah, your gut is probably right.

diana_kim6613d ago

My uncle ran a crane crew in Tampa for 20 years and I heard a different side of that Clearwater story. The operator got let go but it was because he skipped the outrigger inspection that morning, not because he made a simple mistake on a hill. A slight slope shouldn't tip a crane if it's set up right with the pads and mats under the outriggers. The load swinging into the pickup is the result of the tip, not the cause. I think firing him on the spot is fair when the guy ignored basic safety steps that would have kept the rig stable.

pat_moore13d ago

Honestly, I read a similar story on a rigging forum and those guys said it's always the outriggers that get overlooked.