O
22

That load chart myth got busted for me at a job in Tulsa

I always thought bigger radius meant you just add more counterweight, simple math, end of story. Then last month we were setting HVAC units on a roof in Tulsa and the crane had to reach out 110 feet. The load chart said 8,200 pounds at that radius, but the unit weighed 9,100. My foreman pulled out the manufacturer's manual and showed me the derating for wind and the jib angle, which I never bothered to really read before. Turns out the chart was already accounting for the hook block and slings, and I was double counting that in my head. We had to bring in a second crane for the pick, cost the contractor an extra $1,400 in rental time. I found that detail buried in the operator's manual under the fine print about stability factors, and it changed how I read every chart now. Has anyone else gotten burned by assuming the radius chart was just about reach and weight?
0 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.