crane newbie

[dbl612]

concerns

....... really?

this thing isn't a log truck or bobcat with all kinds of room for error to learn to use/operate. there is going to be another life in the tree while you are smashing around up there with no idea of what your pick'n.

i am officially nervous for you.


so far i am hearing a bit of hackery on this thread...

oh and dave, its LMI not LIM. tv loves his lmi. lol

OD is spot on with this comment. the guy in the most danger in this scenario is the climber without a doubt. "how do you guess your pick weight, it has a line so that will help, long stick better than short stick" what the hell!! do you know how to read and understand the load chart and the notes? get training before you hurt someone. you are involved with people and property.

 

[superjunior]

Hey SuperJunior, congrats on the crane. Most people seem to discredit smaller cranes on here, but they can do so much work and are definitely a smart investment. I'd rather have a small, cheap starter crane than a similar priced bucket.

I work with a guy that is silky smooth with cranes. I bet he could show you a lot if you want to line up some weekend work for him (if that is something he wants to do). You just can't steal him from Yarnell. LOL

As for getting used to the crane, take it slow. You have to respect the machine, as it will kill you or the climber if you are pushing the limits or don't understand the situation. Try to do as many one picks as possible. Loading and unloading wood is also another good practice opportunity. Don't be afraid to put the stick out some too. Short sticking is not a good thing and be careful with your preloads. It would be bad news for your climber if you ripped the pick off.

thanks. my buddy who I bought the truck from is going to help out on a few jobs.

 

[superjunior]

OD is spot on with this comment. the guy in the most danger in this scenario is the climber without a doubt. "how do you guess your pick weight, it has a line so that will help, long stick better than short stick" what the hell!! do you know how to read and understand the load chart and the notes? get training before you hurt someone. you are involved with people and property.

yes I am the climber and completely aware of the potential dangers. we do know how to read and understand the load charts. thanks for your concern

 

[mattfr12]

Thats a nice little rig congradulations. How long is the boom? and as far as log weights i tried to figure that out many times what it came down to for me was just picking small stuff and seeing what it weighed intill i found the 60-70% compacity of the crane mark. i can questimate pretty good now what 5k pounds of tree looks like oak vs maple vs pine.

i had a green log weight chart that i carried around alot also that helped a good bit at finding a starting point.

 

[MarquisTree]

Sorry for the spelling error my DROID does some weird things with auto fill. Anyways does your crane have an LMI? Load moment indicator, the computer that tells you what ur capacity is and how much load is on the hook.

 

[dbl612]

lmi

Sorry for the spelling error my DROID does some weird things with auto fill. Anyways does your crane have an LMI? Load moment indicator, the computer that tells you what ur capacity is and how much load is on the hook.

manitex 1461 definately nice entry level machine, very handy for tight spots. no lmi on this machine, thus my concern for operator knowledge regarding log weights, load charts and preloading. sadly most entry-level machines don't have the safety advantages that larger machines offer such as LMI's, however the smaller machines are usually taxed with higher work loads because the owners are trying to do work that really should be done with larger capacity machines. the learning curve is steep.

 

[MarquisTree]

I would recommend investing in a wireless device that at a minimum can tell u the weight of the load on the hook, its very easy to determine what ur rated capacity is using ur boom angle/length and load chart, but judging how much weight on is on the hook is much more difficult.
I have worked trees with and with out an LMI, wh I started working with a crane with a working computer I was surprised at what the actual weights of picks where.
I am not saying u need one just that its a very useful tool. There is a large portion of your load chart where stability is not the limiting factor, working by feel in will not give you a good indication of the actual weight of the pick in these areas.
LMI Components (Load A2B Systems) PAT Hirschmann Wireless Load Indicators, Robert Basil, Basil Cranes, Inc. | Crane Network

This would be way overkill, a more basic which just displayed the load would work well, I have seen Almark us something similar on his kbooms.

Becareful not to backlash your winch, very easy to do, I have seen guys do it so bad it took cutting touches to get the loadline untangled, especially easy to do if the opp is blind and is relying on hand signals.

Good luck be safe

 

[dbl612]

load cells

I would recommend investing in a wireless device that at a minimum can tell u the weight of the load on the hook, its very easy to determine what ur rated capacity is using ur boom angle/length and load chart, but judging how much weight on is on the hook is much more difficult.
I have worked trees with and with out an LMI, wh I started working with a crane with a working computer I was surprised at what the actual weights of picks where.
I am not saying u need one just that its a very useful tool. There is a large portion of your load chart where stability is not the limiting factor, working by feel in will not give you a good indication of the actual weight of the pick in these areas.
LMI Components (Load A2B Systems) PAT Hirschmann Wireless Load Indicators, Robert Basil, Basil Cranes, Inc. | Crane Network

This would be way overkill, a more basic which just displayed the load would work well, I have seen Almark us something similar on his kbooms.

Becareful not to backlash your winch, very easy to do, I have seen guys do it so bad it took cutting touches to get the loadline untangled, especially easy to do if the opp is blind and is relying on hand signals.

"the load and A2b co." located in canada makes a very compact load cell that pins between the becket and the ball that has proven to be reliable and rugged. relitively inexpensive and basic unit that tells you load on hook. great for small boom trucks as an operator aid. we have one on our 12 ton national that has been in use for about 8 yrs now with no issues other than an annual battery change. thanks, tom.

 

[MarquisTree]

"Load cell" thank you I couldn't think of the name

 

[treeslayer]

That ain't a crane. it's a truck with a boom........

These are the two cranes I used during Irene. the little one is a 70 ton, the big one a 120 ton.

go big or stay home.......:hmm3grin2orange:

and of course the pics won't insert. :censored:

 

[treeclimber101]

....... really?

this thing isn't a log truck or bobcat with all kinds of room for error to learn to use/operate. there is going to be another life in the tree while you are smashing around up there with no idea of what your pick'n.

i am officially nervous for you.


so far i am hearing a bit of hackery on this thread...

oh and dave, its LMI not LIM. tv loves his lmi. lol

A good rule of thumb if the cranes flips don't try to pick up anything that heavy again ... Or the old tried and true method take it out to a customers house first before you have the basic knowledge of its operation , God knows you don't wanna #### anything up of your own ....

 

[treeslayer]

Of course that unit can go bout anywhere without sinking........


I'd like to have one around 20 - 25 ton.:msp_thumbup:

 

[superjunior]

That ain't a crane. it's a truck with a boom........

These are the two cranes I used during Irene. the little one is a 70 ton, the big one a 120 ton.

go big or stay home.......:hmm3grin2orange:

and of course the pics won't insert. :censored:

think those would be a little overkill for my applications. I did have to rent one that big a few years back. big oak fell on a house. took up the whole front yard to set it up

 

[superjunior]

thanks for all the tips, concerns, advice fellas. as was mentioned no lmi. does have an overload gauge though. took down a pretty nasty maple today and most pics were really small. working in pretty tight quarters anyway. took a few beefy pieces with the trunk but gauge never got near the red.

 

[kdslocum]

That ain't a crane. it's a truck with a boom........

These are the two cranes I used during Irene. the little one is a 70 ton, the big one a 120 ton.

go big or stay home.......:hmm3grin2orange:

and of course the pics won't insert. :censored:

Pretty sure all cranes are trucks with booms on them

 

[treeclimber101]

That ain't a crane. it's a truck with a boom........

These are the two cranes I used during Irene. the little one is a 70 ton, the big one a 120 ton.

go big or stay home.......:hmm3grin2orange:

and of course the pics won't insert. :censored:

What size crane do you own ??? Oh thats right you rent them ....

 

[kdslocum]

What size crane do you own ??? Oh thats right you rent them ....

Ouch!

 

[no tree to big]

What size crane do you own ??? Oh thats right you rent them ....

be glad he dosn't own a crane there probably wouldn't be any trees left in the county after the first year he had it
:wink2:

dave you still in VA or u back in IL?

 

[kdslocum]

some people dont just have 200 gs lying around to spend on a monster crane:msp_wink:
work with waht you got and make hay while the sun shines

 

[treeslayer]

I'm in VA.

Of course I rent them.
I only need em during hurricanes.
$750,000 for the little one, 1.25 million for the big one to buy them.

Sure are a lot of haters here now, I'm gone.:frown: