A retired ironworker yelled at me for 10 minutes, then taught me my swing brake trick

Was on a 12-story high rise in Charlotte last Tuesday, running a Liebherr 110t. I was feathering the swing hard to land a load of joists, and this old-timer on the ground finally hollered up, 'Stop stroking that brake like a fiddle, kid, let the load settle first!' I was so used to micro-adjusting that I never gave the crane a second to catch up. He made me wait a full 3 seconds after stopping the swing before touching the hoist, and it was like a night and day difference on the pick stability. Anyone else get a hard lesson from a retiree that completely rewired their operator habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_kelly5525d ago

Ha! My swing brake's been called a stutter, so I feel your pain!

lisak2625d ago

That "let the load settle" advice sounds nice, but it doesn't work for every pick. If I wait three full seconds on a windy day with a tall wall panel, the load starts swinging on its own, and then I'm chasing it with the brake anyway. I've seen guys who take that slow approach and they end up smacking the concrete edge because they're too patient. The micro-feathering might be overkill on a calm, steady lift, but it's saved me on tight setting jobs where the ground guys are waving for the exact inch. Old-timers forget that the cranes today have way different swing response than their old friction machines.