Pro tip: I used to eyeball my crane's load charts for every lift.

About two years ago on a site in Phoenix, I had a close call with a 15-ton concrete panel because I misread the chart for my radius. Now I use a laminated, highlighted copy of the chart for my specific crane, a Link-Belt 110, and I mark my planned radius and weight with a dry-erase marker before I even signal the riggers. It adds 30 seconds and saves a world of hurt. Anyone else have a simple pre-lift check they swear by?

3 comments

3 Comments

palmer.spencer26d ago

Honestly, the weather gets overlooked. A hot day in Phoenix changes everything with that chart, way more than guys realize.

noahlane26d ago

Totally see that with all kinds of data. People love to look at the clean numbers on a chart but forget the messy real world stuff that changes it. It's like only looking at a recipe and ignoring if your oven runs hot or cold. The context always matters way more than we want to admit, and then we get surprised when the results are different.

riley_price12d ago

That part about the weather is so true. It reminds me of a job we had where the wind wasn't even that strong, but it was just this steady gust coming down between two buildings. It turned a simple beam pick into a real fight, swinging like a pendulum. The chart never said a word about that little wind tunnel.