Stop in for a cup of coffee

Unconventional said
I spent lots of hours as an oiler during my apprenticeship, hydro and conventional. Red, one of my operators told me one day, "Your're not a real crane operator until you tip one over." Luckily I never got to be a "real" operator :lol:. I was oiling on the 45T Hydro stripping bridge falsework, Don had the boom stretched out ALL the way and close to horizontal and grabbed hold of a 12"x24" I beam about 60' long and we had to walk the rig out some for the beam to clear a bunch of obstacles. Don gives me the horn signal to get under way. Shortly after he gives me the "right turn" horn, I turn right, nothin' he repeats his signal, I look into my rear view and something doesn't look right, that's when I looked down and saw the steer tires were 6' off the ground :eek:. Cautiously I got the rig stopped and the horn honking begins again, I just stuck my arm out the window and pointed at the ground when he looked my way :lol:.

Flat stick is always no fun, every State is different but to certify mine annually I had to flat stick then pick up chart capacity, then with load just off ground find tipping point. This ensures charting is still correct and safety margin. I never liked doing it but it certainly gives you confidence in your equipment. If you run an old crane you get pretty handy at doing math very rapidly in your head! New ones are all electronic. I sent a picture to my Dad once where they had me nosed between an 6 inch ammonia line and a 8 inch methane line. Right at flat stick in a blind set doing I beams. I had more deflection than space!