Switched to a luffing jib for a tight downtown job site and it saved my bacon

Honestly, I was dead set on using a standard tower crane for that 14-story build in Austin last month, but the project manager pushed for a luffing jib to fit between two existing buildings. Got it rigged up and the boom clearance was so tight I almost knocked a window out on the first swing. Has anyone else had to switch gear mid-project because the site layout was tighter than you planned?

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1 Comment

zarar6721m ago

Luffing jibs are lifesavers in tight spots, no doubt. I had a job in Denver where we swapped out a standard flat top for a luffing jib halfway through because the neighbor's building was way closer than the plans suggested. We ended up tying off the boom at a 45 degree angle for most of the picks and it worked like a charm. Just make sure you double check your counterweight swing radius too, that caught me off guard once.