in the seat

[oldirty]

i ran the crane today for 2 pine removals. simple double leader on the left and a straight one on the right about 75ft to the tips on both.


having been crane climbing for a hot minute now ive only ever moved logs around on a stand up crane but a few times at a different company. never before have i made live picks from the seat.

he said i did a good job and no jerk'n the crane around either so thats cool but i dont know man.

i had a pretty good idea from being observant over the years but it is no joke running crane.

as we speak i prefer making the cuts even though they want to send me to the class and test.

with crane comes much responsibility.

 

[treemandan]

I am scared to play Pac-Man and that only has one lever. I never met a crane operator who wasn't dead serious.

 

[oldirty]

i hear ya.

i mean the crane i was running is a beast anyway and i wasnt near any of its capacities i was still a bit "on edge".

constantly looking for all the guys, the tools, the road, the wires, the flip, the swing, all that and so much more you gotta be aware of.... never mind the living person running the saw and making the cut depending upon you to not ruin their day.


crazy.

 

[Blakesmaster]

they want to send me to the class and test.

crazy.

I believe it was you or someone else on this site that said the best CO's were once climbers. Why not, boss? It's another feather in your cap.

 

[gr8scott72]

I believe it was you or someone else on this site that said the best CO's were once climbers. Why not, boss? It's another feather in your cap.

Not only that but just like anything else, you will learn it and get comfortable with it.

Just like the first time you:
rode a bike
drove a car
fell a tree
operated any heavy equipment

 

[arborist]

It's just like climbing.The more you do it,the more comfortable you become..........probably lol(I'v never done it.)
Just like when your climbing though,you need to pre plan each step,and be aware of your surroundings,know where everyone is,know the man and his experience on the rope,and how each cut needs to be made etc.etc.etc.
Just slow,safe,controlled professional steps and with practice,just like climbing,or anything with life,you become better,and more efficient.
After a while,it should become like second nature to you,just like when you do a removal and you know,you have room to drop that huge top of a tree,there's only one reason you drop a full top right? because your experience tells you "I know for a fact,with this rope,and or lean,the top of this tree is going exactly right there".
Go take that class and pass that test oldirty! You can do it man!

congrats on a good successful day.

 

[John464]

i think you're too young and good at what you do best to be sitting in a seat, unless you are getting a lap dance.

dont they require a crane op license in your state? I looked into buying a crane more than a handful of times, last I checked there was a requirement of 40hrs of class time before you can test to recieve the license. In NJ if you get caught operating a crane without a license there are stiff penalties. Not to mention if anything goes wrong insurance will not cover unless you have the crane op license.

 

[Pruitt1222]

Not to mention jail time and lawsuits could happen if you mess up, Isn't fun? As long as you had lots of over kill I would absolutely over look it. So what kinda crane was it? And did you get a picture?

 

[oldirty]

pruitt. 38ton altec was the crane.

john, there are all kinds of regulations regarding the operation of a machine in mass but none in NH. besides how do you find out if someone can run a machine without spending the money to certify them only to find out they cant do it. lol. these were "no doubt" trees so it wasnt like anyone was put to their limits. but i thank you for kinda solidifying how i feel. as we speak while i am of sound mind and body (well sound body at least) i would rather be making the cuts.

once i start to slow down then for sure i expect to make a move to the seat.

blakes, as you know climbers make the best everything in the game. lol. but yes i have said that the best CO's are the ones who have climbed before sitting and operating. ( i am sure i am not the only one to have said it either.) a feather in the cap no doubt but a huge pain in the balls too.

oh well. eventually you hit puberty no matter how long you want to be a kid.

"you wanna run the crane" he asks. "no" was my answer as he put his saddle on and fired up my saw and took over my rope bag.

lol.

 

[groundsmgr]

pruitt. 38ton altec was the crane.

john, there are all kinds of regulations regarding the operation of a machine in mass but none in NH. besides how do you find out if someone can run a machine without spending the money to certify them only to find out they cant do it. lol. these were "no doubt" trees so it wasnt like anyone was put to their limits. but i thank you for kinda solidifying how i feel. as we speak while i am of sound mind and body (well sound body at least) i would rather be making the cuts.

once i start to slow down then for sure i expect to make a move to the seat.

blakes, as you know climbers make the best everything in the game. lol. but yes i have said that the best CO's are the ones who have climbed before sitting and operating. ( i am sure i am not the only one to have said it either.) a feather in the cap no doubt but a huge pain in the balls too.

oh well. eventually you hit puberty no matter how long you want to be a kid.

"you wanna run the crane" he asks. "no" was my answer as he put his saddle on and fired up my saw and took over my rope bag.

lol.

Cool. I alway wanted to run one. A company in mass I worked for in the 90 out of school Had and old grove crane they used but i never ran it. Cosest I got to run one was on old hiab behind the cab loader.
scotty:yourock:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I think you should go for it, if they pay you more.

It may give you a better judgment as to what you can do in a given situation.

As for climbers and crane OE's...I think the best OE is one who has their but welded to the seat every day.

Now the best groundies are climbers, they can be the works too, cuz they want to tell you how to work

 

[Blakesmaster]

a huge pain in the balls too.


lol.

Wear a cup, boss. lol. There is definitely a big difference in a person's instinctual ability to run equipment and to climb though. I'm about as retarded in a skidsteer as one could be but I move with serious agility in the tree tops. My bro, on the other hand, is downright SICK with levers and ( hope he's not reading this ) not as limber in the tree. Some of it comes from experience and some seems to be an ingrown understanding of different things. In the end, you gotta take advantage of your niche, but it's still not a bad idea to think ahead and learn some new skills. A pain in the balls right now could mean a sweet finish in the future. And ####, if the boss is pushing you, that probably means he's paying for it, right?

 

[Adkpk]

Just another feather in the cap. Doesn't have to plume today but someday sitt'n in a cab pushing around the joy stick might be all you got left. :greenchainsaw: I say get all practice you can while you have the chance. Sounds like this company wants you to stick around.

 

[oldirty]

Just another feather in the cap. Doesn't have to plume today but someday sitt'n in a cab pushing around the joy stick might be all you got left. :greenchainsaw: I say get all practice you can while you have the chance. Sounds like this company wants you to stick around.

hopefully many many years down the road! lol.

i'll do all that for them/me but i want to get certified arborist first. try to max out my pay before i next step the next step for more money. (and try to push it back as long as possible. lol)


cant i just climb till i can climb no mo?

give me the log loader dammit!

listen to me....whining about running a crane. lol.

 

[beowulf343]

Go for it, oldirty. The more you know, the more valuable you become.

 

[oldirty]

big dog! long time no read!

 

[custom8726]

First time I have logged on in awhile, but its good to see your still gettin her done man For me I really enjoy running the crane, but I am hands down more comfortable in the tree. diversity is key

 

[oldirty]

good to read you again as well man!


and thanks.

 

[lt1nut]

I'm not in your industry but completely understand the rush of climbing. As long as the employer understands that you do not want to run a crane all the time what's to lose? God forbid something happen to your employer, or you, being crane certified would at the very least make you more marketable and valuable to your next employers. I assume you already have enough time in to be a CA, you just need the tests.

Most cranes have heat and a/c, right?