Boom failures?

[climberjones]

Thought this might be a useful thread for newbies and guys that dont have a lot of different types or models of boom experiences maybe we could list some booms some of us have had or seen firsthand failures on and things to watch for might save some body some real pain or worse!

 

[ropensaddle]

Old Asplundh booms I have run them scary to think about but their drive cable stops were defective allowing upper boom to drop to many deaths. We had one here die I hated getting the safety bulletin,s in them days , it meant people were dying.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Old Asplundh booms I have run them scary to think about but their drive cable stops were defective allowing upper boom to drop to many deaths. We had one here die I hated getting the safety bulletin,s in them days , it meant people were dying.

I agree. Back in the early 80's I sub'ed for a company and they had an outrigger fail.
Jeff

 

[climberjones]

Old Asplundh booms I have run them scary to think about but their drive cable stops were defective allowing upper boom to drop to many deaths. We had one here die I hated getting the safety bulletin,s in them days , it meant people were dying.

so would you say many of them out there now have been remedied or are they still dangerous was there a certain year model etc etc to watch out for? THANKS!

 

[jefflovstrom]

so would you say many of them out there now have been remedied or are they still dangerous was there a certain year model etc etc to watch out for? THANKS!

They better be in the Boneyard!!!
Jeff

 

[ducaticorse]

They better be in the Boneyard!!!
Jeff

acetylene torched to pieces....... Unfortunately, once tey got into civilian hands, the detroy orders stopped getting done. Thats why you don't buy old junk!

 

[jefflovstrom]

acetylene torched to pieces....... Unfortunately, once tey got into civilian hands, the detroy orders stopped getting done. Thats why you don't buy old junk!

I got to spread it around, D.
Jeff

 

[ducaticorse]

i got to spread it around, d.
Jeff

hear hear!

 

[Rftreeman]

one of the companies I worked for had the whole boom come off the truck at the turret and killed the operator, they showed us pictures of the failure, the bolts broke in the turret....

another had the upper cylinder break and dropped the operator from 35 to 40 feet high back down on the head ache rack, he didn't get killed but his career ended that day....

guy that worked with me had an uncle who was killed when the upper boom broke right next to the bucket and dumped him out from 50 feet high.....

heard a story of the boom cable breaking and the upper boom came crashing back down and when it stopped the operator was slung out from the recoil of the boom...

the last two weren't wearing a harness...

 

[ducaticorse]

one of the companies I worked for had the whole boom come off the truck at the turret and killed the operator, they showed us pictures of the failure, the bolts broke in the turret....

another had the upper cylinder break and dropped the operator from 35 to 40 feet high back down on the head ache rack, he didn't get killed but his career ended that day....

guy that worked with me had an uncle who was killed when the upper boom broke right next to the bucket and dumped him out from 50 feet high.....

heard a story of the boom cable breaking and the upper boom came crashing back down and when it stopped the operator was slung out from the recoil of the boom...

the last two weren't wearing a harness...

Well thanks for pissing on my cornflakes. I'll be sure to keep this thread in mind next time I'm up in the bucket. Jee whiz..

 

[squad143]

Makes one want to stick to spurs.

 

[ducaticorse]

Makes one want to stick to spurs.

Makes me wanna fukin STAB myself. Fukin pats..... BrING ME DEATH BEFORE DIS HONOR. 0#### FEeT BOY!!!!

 

[ropensaddle]

Never forget my second foreman, I started on a climb only crew before moving on to a bucket. I had climbed every day for a year! I was put in the bucket two hours later I set a rope and started climbing lol. Foreman asked what was wrong I said the bucket don't go high enough and that man made the bucket and God made the tree and I don't trust man too much. He laughed his butt off he was cool lol. I got more used to it later we laughed about my first foreman together. I had been removed from his crew because I was fixin to go to fist city with him. He told me to stay in a tree as a thunderstorm was getting close and lightning struck about 150 yards away. I started coming down, he said I was gonna go to the house if I did not finish the tree. I looked at him and said not before I kick your fat ass lmfao. We called him boogy because he rolled up boogers and ate them. The general foreman rolled up to tell us to go to the house just as I was getting down. He called me to his truck and asked what happened and said your going to work on a different crew. He asked what would have happened if he had not showed up lol I told him!

 

[climberjones]

one of the companies I worked for had the whole boom come off the truck at the turret and killed the operator, they showed us pictures of the failure, the bolts broke in the turret....

another had the upper cylinder break and dropped the operator from 35 to 40 feet high back down on the head ache rack, he didn't get killed but his career ended that day....

guy that worked with me had an uncle who was killed when the upper boom broke right next to the bucket and dumped him out from 50 feet high.....

heard a story of the boom cable breaking and the upper boom came crashing back down and when it stopped the operator was slung out from the recoil of the boom...

the last two weren't wearing a harness...

none of those were versalifts where they ???????

 

[lxt]

these were all asplundh booms!! there is a company by me that is using an older asplundh boom.......from the late 80`s!!!!!

I remember telling the owner when we met at a job bid about the dangers of those lifts.........he just smirked & said....competition is just worried & makes up scary things!

I laughed back & told em..........be even scarier if you actually ran the bucket thats destined to fail....go on line & check, or call Asplundh!!


LXT..............

 

[Rftreeman]

Well thanks for pissing on my cornflakes. I'll be sure to keep this thread in mind next time I'm up in the bucket. Jee whiz..

the most important thing to remember is to inspect that boom everyday, if you're using it and hear funny noises or it just doesn't feel right stop and inspect it and if you don't feel safe don't use it until you know 100% that it's safe...

Makes one want to stick to spurs.

heard a story of a spur breaking off also.....

none of those were versalifts where they ???????

I know for a fact that three of them weren't but can't say for sure on the other....


inspect your equipment before each use, not just once in a while....

 

[TXLiquid]

Anybody know of any ALC boom failures?

 

[lone wolf]

I know they want you to replace cylinder rods every 7 years or so ,they must have had one of them bad boys break.

 

[Highclimber OR]

Horror stories. Ya boom accidents happen but a vast majority of the time it is operator error. Most are killed when overhead wires are contacted, please look it up. Boom failure happens but it is not widespread which is why most stories are he said she said. Whenever you are depending on any machine or device to support you there is always the risk that something will go wrong or fail so be smart but look it over. I like the don't do anything you are not comfortable doing approach but telling a bunch of stories just scares all the newbies for little gain. I have heard of 3 fatalities personally in 20 years but they were all user error not failure related. Rigs fail but not often, have yours inspected regularly and be heads up. Not to bum kick the other posts but be real guys.

 

[tomtrees58]

20 years but they were all user error not failure related now thats a wtf