Looked up the max load on a 50 year old crane manual and it scared me a bit

I was helping a buddy clean out his uncle's old barn near Tulsa last weekend and we found a manual from 1973 for a Grove TM250. The thing was all yellowed and falling apart but the rated capacity for some of the boom extensions was way higher than what I'd feel comfortable lifting today. I took a photo and looked up the same model specs online later that night and sure enough the modern safety margin is way more conservative. Like 30% lower on some angles. Made me wonder how many guys actually followed those old charts back in the day or just went with feel. Has anyone else run across old manuals that had numbers that seem crazy by today's standards?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_hernandez26d ago

Pretty sure the TM250 didn't come out until the late 70s actually, not 73.

elizabeth22025d ago

Ngl, that's rough. Honestly, I've been there with bike years before, and it sucks when you're just trying to help and someone shoots it down like that.