Worst morning I've had on a crane in 8 years

Last Thursday I was running a 50 ton Grove in Austin and a gust of wind caught my load around 8:30 AM. It swung hard into a scaffolding tower and bent two sections of pipe rail. Boss was right there watching and just shook his head. Has anyone else had wind sneak up on them like that even when the charts said it was fine?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.charlie1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta push back a little here. Sounds like you were pushing the limits on a windy day and got caught out. The charts are just guidelines, not guarantees, and if a gust caught your load that hard maybe you should've parked it earlier. Boss shaking his head says a lot.

hart.ryan29d ago

I hear what you're saying @lewis.charlie, but I'm not sure this is as big a deal as you're making it. A little wind and a shaky load happens all the time in this line of work. The boss shaking his head could just be him being tired or having a bad day, not necessarily a sign you messed up. And those charts you mentioned? Half the time guys around here ignore them completely and things turn out fine. Seems like you're reading way too much into a common situation.