TIL you can lift a load with the wind if you know how to read the gusts

I was on a job last month out in Odessa, Texas, setting steel for a new warehouse. A sudden 20 mph crosswind came up around 2 in the afternoon. I'd normally just shut down and wait it out. But an old timer I was working with showed me how to watch the dust devils and time the lulls. He said you don't fight the wind, you dance with it. I got the whole beam up and set in 40 minutes flat. Has anyone else used wind timing like that or is it just something they teach in the desert?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_coleman611mo ago

I love that line about dancing with the wind. I tried that once and ended up doing more of a clumsy two step while my hard hat flew off.

the_fiona1mo ago

Those hard hats are surprisingly aerodynamic when they want to be. Did you ever find it or did the wind claim it for good?