# Crane Magic!



## ForTheArborist (Aug 10, 2011)

When work simply turns into an idiot's bad art. 

[video=youtube;HRILH4mNjIo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRILH4mNjIo&feature=related[/video]


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## ropensaddle (Aug 10, 2011)

OMG bro, you got very lucky there. I am very surprised the crane stayed afloat I bet your undies were stained lol.


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## mattfr12 (Aug 11, 2011)

FTA is that you in the video?


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## ctrees4$ (Aug 11, 2011)

Trick question!!! opcorn:


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## menzhari (Aug 15, 2011)

Scary but cool!  I would scream after if that happened to me.


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## BlackOakTreeServ (Aug 15, 2011)

I mean, you know this now, but...that strap should have been way higher up in the top....all those branches and foliage out weigh that upper part of the trunk, as we all see...very glad you didnt get hurt on that one!

this is how we all learn, thanks for posting it, that takes guts....waiting for the flame crew to show though...lol


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## ropensaddle (Aug 16, 2011)

woodsman44 said:


> I mean, you know this now, but...that strap should have been way higher up in the top....all those branches and foliage out weigh that upper part of the trunk, as we all see...very glad you didnt get hurt on that one!
> 
> this is how we all learn, thanks for posting it, that takes guts....waiting for the flame crew to show though...lol


 
Lol no I disagree. I really see a crane as a helpful tool but it seems everyone that uses one want to test its limits. My personal thoughts is why? I see no sound logic in not taking it out in safer sized sections. It will be less cutting on the ground, where we all know chains get dull. I almost believe crane users get too lazy and many get the, lets see if it will handle this syndrome This is the number one reason we see so many failures imho. Even if your a calculating guru Who figured weight the truth is; everything has a cycle to failure factor so if your stressing it daily eventually it will show. My views are a limb at 1k 8 times is way safer than one pick at 8k.

In this incident yes the choker was set improper but if it would of been smaller sized less stress would have been put on the crane. Personally I would of been scared to use that crane after that without a thorough examination under x-ray. Heavy loads is one thing but uncontrolled loads creating shockload is a whole other spectrum. He is so lucky imo that crane did not fold.


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## beowulf343 (Aug 16, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Lol no I disagree. I really see a crane as a helpful tool but it seems everyone that uses one want to test its limits. My personal thoughts is why? I see no sound logic in not taking it out in safer sized sections. It will be less cutting on the ground, where we all know chains get dull. I almost believe crane users get too lazy and many get the, lets see if it will handle this syndrome This is the number one reason we see so many failures imho. Even if your a calculating guru Who figured weight the truth is; everything has a cycle to failure factor so if your stressing it daily eventually it will show. My views are a limb at 1k 8 times is way safer than one pick at 8k.
> 
> In this incident yes the choker was set improper but if it would of been smaller sized less stress would have been put on the crane. Personally I would of been scared to use that crane after that without a thorough examination under x-ray. Heavy loads is one thing but uncontrolled loads creating shockload is a whole other spectrum. He is so lucky imo that crane did not fold.



Rope, first off, sorry to hear about the missus, hope things work out. We had a cancer scare in the family not too long ago and it is a difficult time-you'll be in my prayers.

Second, i know you are the "good old boy" on this site, so i'll probably get #### for this, but i disagree with a lot of what you say here. I'll admit, while i don't load my crane to the limit, i run it up near 'em. It's not a "let's see if it can handle it" syndrome, cause i know what it can handle. It's a "let's get as much wood on the ground as fast as possible" syndrome. In most removal operations, the climber is the chokepoint, for lack of a better term. Once stuff is on the ground, there is a myriad of ways to process it faster, or easier. If stuff is getting on the ground faster than it's getting processed-hire another guy, get a bigger chipper, bring a grapple truck, etc. However, it's just usually one guy in the air, and if he's already an experienced climber and is working a crane, there is not a ton more you can do to speed up how fast the stuff is hitting the ground. The climber is the one setting the pace at which the job gets done. So yeah, i'll cut big in the air and let the equipment and guys on the ground handle the processing. It's either one guy with one saw making five cuts in the air, or it's three guys on the ground with three saws making three cuts at the same time-which is faster? Besides, that is what my groundies get paid to do, process what i put on the ground. I guess what i'm trying to say is it's a time saver to put half a stem on the ground in one pick where three guys can work on it with equipment instead of taking it in smaller pieces where the climber is actually the only one working on it.

I've got to ask rope, how many cranes have you seen actually fail, outside of youtube, which showcases idiots? You are making it sound like "crane failure is an imminent, inevitable event that is going to happen no matter what steps you take-the thing will probably fail while driving down the road!" I'll be honest with you, i know buckets are much more prevalent than cranes in this business, but i've heard of a lot more bucket failures than crane failures. My boss has been sending cranes out to work trees daily for over twenty years now with NO failures. We have four cranes constantly out, and their failure rate is nonexistant. A lot of the "failure" that you do see is caused by stupidity. I would like to point out that this video doesn't show a crane "failure" though. It does show climber failure, but the crane actually performed admirably. How many devices in this business are that "forgiving" when someone makes that huge of a mistake? And by forgiving, i don't mean this is a good practice on crane work, but we both know there are other pieces of equipment where something as small as a wrong foot placement can cost a life. 

As for your "everything has a cycle to failure factor" argument-that's true, but your bucket has a cycle to failure factor. You think it lifting a guy up in the air all day isn't stressing it at all? If we lived by your argument, we'd still be climbing tree instead of using a mechanical advantage (but then using the gaffs is stressing them and they will fail the more they are used, so we should stop using them before they fail......) I look at it as the crane was built to do the job it does, and in fact mine is overbuilt to do the job it does. What that guy did in the video was stressing and may have shortened the life of the crane, sure, but fear of eventual failure due to everyday work (which even picking within the limits has got to be a little stressing) can be applied to every piece of equipment we use-it's why things are inspected, maintained, and eventually... retired. 

Your "1k limb eight times instead of 8k limb once is safer" argument doesn't always apply. My equipment can handle or can be set up to handle an 8k weight and more very safely. So why shouldn't i do it. I'm not feeding a chuck and duck, i've got one of the biggest chippers waiting to blow into multiple trucks. Why would i lose time setting a choker, cutting, waiting for the cycle, setting a choker, cutting, waiting for the cycle eight times when i can set two or three chokers, make one cut, and we're on to the next piece. If your equipment can handle it and the climber has the experience, i don't see what makes it so much less safer. You think 8k on a 75 ton in the meat of the chart is more stressing than 1k eight times? Now granted, my situation is a bit extreme, but it scales down, if your chart will handle 500 lbs, why do you think picking 50 lbs three times is safer than 150lbs once. Doing it more times, boom longer in the air, more rotation more line run, more climber fatigue-all these things cause their own stress other than weight stress.

Sorry if my point didn't get across, i'm a treeman, not a writer. I personally feel you should be able to run your equipment _within_ their limits without a crippling fear of stress wear failure or a fear of being unsafe.

Edit: I've got to say the title of that video is a little misleading. It may have been too big a top for that climber, but not for that crane. For a more experienced climber with that crane, it wouldn't have been a problem at all. Just my opinion.


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## ropensaddle (Aug 16, 2011)

Bewolf My point was missed but i see yours. I however still feel taking too large of pick is the number one cause of crane accidents. My grapple truck boom has loaded like you mention up to its limits for years and finally the ears that connect the boom to pedestal broke and its drawing board time refab necessary. The point here is its designed just as a crane to pick heavy loads. I have been on my partners ass to cut smaller sections and without fail he has not listened. I could of run it forever had he listened but now we have to do it the hard way. All metal fatigues as heavy loads are placed upon it and someday its too much and if your lifting over house and people then there is more inherent danger. I was not meaning to sound like i think you need to cut smaller sections but if I ever hit the lotto and get my own crane it will always be well below its limits before any pick. For instance if im charted 9k at height and angle I will likely want 5k now 5k is a good amount of work being brought down to the groundies even if they do have that behemouth chipper


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## BlackOakTreeServ (Aug 16, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Lol no I disagree. I really see a crane as a helpful tool but it seems everyone that uses one want to test its limits. My personal thoughts is why? I see no sound logic in not taking it out in safer sized sections. It will be less cutting on the ground, where we all know chains get dull. I almost believe crane users get too lazy and many get the, lets see if it will handle this syndrome This is the number one reason we see so many failures imho. Even if your a calculating guru Who figured weight the truth is; everything has a cycle to failure factor so if your stressing it daily eventually it will show. My views are a limb at 1k 8 times is way safer than one pick at 8k.
> 
> In this incident yes the choker was set improper but if it would of been smaller sized less stress would have been put on the crane. Personally I would of been scared to use that crane after that without a thorough examination under x-ray. Heavy loads is one thing but uncontrolled loads creating shockload is a whole other spectrum. He is so lucky imo that crane did not fold.



Hi rope,
what I was saying is, that if you going to take that big of a bite, you better get that strap higher up in tree, but would I have tried that, no way, I would have lightened up that canopy first by taking out a lot of them branches so so theres more weight at trunk than top.


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## ForTheArborist (Aug 17, 2011)

menzhari said:


> Scary but cool!  I would scream after if that happened to me.


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## ForTheArborist (Aug 17, 2011)

I found that vid online. That's not me, my climber, or my tree. :msp_thumbup:


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## jefflovstrom (Sep 6, 2011)

I knew it wasnt FTA, that is why I did not chime in. You got em good on that one ,FTA, And I did not ruin it for you, lol!
Jeff :msp_tongue:


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## ropensaddle (Sep 6, 2011)

jefflovstrom said:


> I knew it wasnt FTA, that is why I did not chime in. You got em good on that one ,FTA, And I did not ruin it for you, lol!
> Jeff :msp_tongue:


 
Hmmmmmmmmm so you knew eh :rant:


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## jefflovstrom (Sep 6, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Hmmmmmmmmm so you knew eh :rant:


 
Ha ha ha! Yup! 
Jeff :msp_thumbup:


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## treemandan (Sep 7, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Hmmmmmmmmm so you knew eh :rant:


 
Its just FTA... with the hankering for tree man penus ... again.


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## Rftreeman (Sep 9, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Hmmmmmmmmm so you knew eh :rant:


 


jefflovstrom said:


> Ha ha ha! Yup!
> Jeff :msp_thumbup:


 I knew also cause that's me up there.............

























NOT!!!!!! lol... J/K...........I would never use that brand crane....lol...


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## zhianzee (Sep 19, 2011)

Beware of that crane it will make you look like and idiot! LOL :bang:


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