Vent: Old timer taught me a load chart lesson I won't forget

I was working a job in Houston last spring, setting HVAC units on a warehouse roof. This older operator named Dave was parked next to me on his Grove. I was young and thought I had it figured out, just eyeballing the chart like I always did. He walked over and pointed at my jib angle, said 'you're 2 degrees off, that's 1,200 pounds you don't have.' I checked the chart again and he was dead right. I had been running close to the line for months without realizing it. That one conversation changed how I setup on every lift. Has anyone else had a senior guy give you a hard truth like that on site?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_nelson4328d ago

That 2 degrees thing will bite you every time. I check the chart three times now on any boom lift before I start.

patricia68528d ago

Oh man, tell me about it. I was on a JLG last month and skimmed the chart thinking I was good. Wound up overextended by a foot on a slope. Had to crab-walk the whole thing back down while the super was yelling from the ground. Lesson learned - now I take a picture of the chart with my phone before I even climb in.

blake_bell2928d ago

Oh come on, the chart is just a suggestion half the time, those machines are way more stable than people give them credit for. If you're scared of a little slope you probably shouldn't be operating heavy equipment in the first place.