Hi all,

So for the last 3 years running my business I've been using a Tadano 2ton crane. Man that thing was built like a brick shithouse, I was only picking up 1.5T max but it had good reach and I trusted it even though it was 30 years old.

However a week ago my truck got written off by a logging truck(not fun).

I'm looking at a newer truck with a 2018 PC3800b Palfinger which can do the 2T at enough distance for me on the chart plus has more overall reach. However physically it's a tiny unit by comparison. Are they as good/better? I'll be using the crane to rip hides off beef animals for context so the extension rams need some grunt.

Big Carl as seen from the Bristol Channel 2 years ago. (OC)

Looking for peoples experiences and opinions on knuckle pickers. Being a career stiff boom guy, thats where all my own experience lies. I changed careers and now use knuckles. Our current units are HIAB, but 1 is due to be replaced within the next few years, so we are starting to plan now. I dont mind the HIAB at all, just that its too small. We will hopefully be going bigger with the new build. So what does everybody have to say both good and bad about whatever you have dealt with??

Thanks for any insight !!!

Anyone know what is going on here? https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vcc-clark-unstable-crane-1.7335804

Hey crane enthusiasts, a while back I saw a photo of a massive yellow & black crane with a rainbow shaped arch in the boom. Story claimed they couldn’t use a helicopter so a crane was setup far away. I cannot find the picture/story anywhere online. If anyone knows what I’m talking about please shoot me in the right direction.

Thanks & safe lifting!

Looking into getting my crane certification, what's a good one to start with?( I don't have much experience with heavy machinery like them), plus any good schools in Texas

I’ve only worked with cranes. I took the cco core and passed but let it lapse. I knew I wasn’t ready for everything that potentially could’ve been put In front of me. I’ve never gotten any real seat time. I wanna know how I approach the seat time? I get it’s all trust based but do I just ask? Thanks all for any input!

Will be taking a EICA course for crane certification of rotational cabs and stationary cabs any pointers you can give out to help with successfully passing?

Hello there. Advice please. I’ve seen similar questions on here, but mine is unique enough so here it goes.

I’m interested in working as a crane operator. I’m 40 years old. I have a lot of unique work experience, two of my jobs being some of the most dangerous: Bering Sea Fisherman and Tower Climber, both of which involve rigging, loading, hoisting etc..

I mention this because I’m someone who has spent a lot of time working hard in tough industries that are adjacent to crane operation. So now the question is how to go about working as a crane operator.

I have friends in the union who have suggested, if I don’t want to wait years, to just go get certified and then come to the union to get a job that is on track to get in a seat saying I’ll likely be fast tracked with my experience, knowledge, and work ethic. Money for schooling and passing exams is not an issue for me.

My plan now is to get the rigger 1 cert and then a couple crane certs from a school and then either apply at a union or seek other employment. Does this make sense to do? What are some other considerations or paths that might make sense?

I stopped climbing and installing tower equipment in 2020 and since then have been operating a drone business which focuses on 3D mapping cell towers. Incorporating drone capabilities into the crane industry is a secondary interest of mine and is a bit off topic for this post.

Anybody know what this swith does? And also why it’s next to the climate controls? It says swing sense but it doesn’t do anything in either position. Couldn’t find anything in the book about it. Terex T560

So I’m looking into starting a career in a blue collar field job and crane operating doesn’t seem to bad. Do you recommend starting through another job and working up to crane ? If so what jobs should I start with. Or do you think it’s possible to do all the training for crane operating and getting the cdl and getting a job without experience?

I'm in North Texas and I've been talking with the local union here to get started. He said I'll need my CDL to get into so I'm just about finished getting my Class-A with No Restrictions and plan to meet with him next week to move forward. Just looking for any advice to get started off on the right foot.

Hey all, I know this question has been flogged to death but I'm looking at making a career choice and its currently in-between cranes and about 2 other choices. I get the whole work life balance issues and whatnot in the industry however I think it could be a good fit for me.

One of the biggest questions is obviously pay, here in Australia it's really hard to find a solid number on what you can be making hourly/yearly as a mobile crane operator. If I go down this path I would hopefully be in a position after 10-15 years to start my own business in the industry but before that I was wondering what I could be looking at making not only at the start of my career but also once I have a few years under my belt. I get passion is a big part of the job however I would also like to be able to eat every night in today's economy.

Thanks!

Will probably break 300k this year. That would be a personal record for me. It's also the first time I've been on a tower crane this long (4 years). I've mostly been on RTs and mobiles before I took that job and never made more than 250k. Feels pretty great.

Spent some time living in Vancouver in my twenties before I was in the crane game and I'm interested in moving back and curious what opportunities there are for a relatively inexperienced operator.

Right now I have about 6 months in the seat and I'm feeling pretting comfortable up there. Before that I had spent a few months slinging/rigging and before that about a year operating a ped op tower crane and slinging for it. I dont intend to move for another year, so I will be more experienced by that point but still not an old hand.

I'm just trying to get an idea of what the job prospects would be like for someone like myself and possibley what kind of money I could expect to make because vancouver wasn't cheap in 2018 and I know its only got worse. So if there is anyone living, working or from the area that can give me a clue as to what i can expect I'd really appreciate it.

Green as can be in the crane industry, (have class 1 and rigging experience) just received my blue book and sponsor. About to start my apprentice work in two weeks. In the blue book it’s asking what percentage of work is stiff boom and what percentage of work was articulating boom truck, will this have any affect on my results? My company only has stiff boom trucks, I would assume they are superior to stiff boom?

My understanding of the difference between the two is the articulating boom truck has the knuckle boom, and the stiff boom doesn’t.

Hello there!

I am a slinger and signaler. I am want to move on to be a craneoperator. I am contemplating wether to go for mobile or tower crane.

I worked with both tower and mobile operators. One thing I noticed is that the tower operators I spoke say they would like to switch over to mobile, but none of the mobile oparators are interested in towers. Is this accurate in your opinion? Is mobile that much better?

Hello, I am a journeyman ironworker(mostly rebar) with 22 years in the trade and looking to change my profession to become an operator. Recently had a fall landing on my hands that has cause some issues with being able to do any heavy lifting so looking at potential outcomes, hoping that work safe would support me in retraining and what the steps would be for doing the needed courses as well as apprenticing to get the hours I need. I was told that I might be able to use some hours I have rigging towards that. Any information or advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I need to preface this by saying that this is a serious post, and my enthusiasm is genuine. I don't work in construction, or anything even remotely related. I imaging this isn't the usually in this sub, but I thought this is the perfect place for advice on this.

I love cranes - I don't know very much about them on a technical level, but seeing them makes me happy on a childlike level. I recently saw one being erected and it was easily one of the best moments of the year. I have a '30 things to do before I turn 30' list (like a bucket list), and going up a crane is right on the top; it's something I've always wanted to do - the higher the better. I have reached out to everyone I can think of in my extended network to see if they know someone who knows someone in the industry, but I've only reached dead ends. I currently live in the Netherlands, but will be moving to Australia in January. The goal is to make this happen before March 2025.

Does anyone have any suggestions, tips or advice on how I could go about making this happen - or is it unrealistic? Any advice is appreciated. I am aware that there are strict safety protocols in place, which makes sense and I am completely on board with. I would be happy to wear any amount of PPE, provide proof of insurance, and even sign an indemnity form if need be. I don't want to go up alone, nor actually operate the crane itself - although that would be fantastic as well.

Thanks!

Which one is better: a mobile crane (truck-mounted) or all-terrain cranes? I'm about to acquire my first crane, and I've been wondering. Any recommendations?

A post on LinkedIn turned up a Liebherr response to booms leaning left and right. This might be noticed more in desert climates where it gets cold at night and the sun hits hard quickly, but the steel used on modern booms can lead to 3x the expansion of A36. The result is one side of the boom can expand faster than the other. If you check out the link, they have a photo example. Being from Washington State, I don't know that I've seen this. It's probably worth being aware of in case you see it for the first time and are faced with the question of carrying on or not. Liebherr says not to worry. "Hey guys, I gotta swing around to warm up the other side of the boom."

https://www.liebherr.com/en/int/products/mobile-and-crawler-cranes/customer-magazine/simply-explained/curved-thing.html

For my graduation project, I am researching how companies manage cranes and the challenges they face. Your input will help me gather valuable insights and contribute to developing new, efficient solutions for the industry.

Filling out this short survey will only take a few minutes, but your feedback is crucial for both my research and the future of the crane sector.

Thank you very much in advance for your time and feedback!

Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecBjfYygesPfQFf6mhycXPegXqyCa8p6Tz5hKbHWCCpS2udg/viewform?usp=sf_link

(Other account had some issues, sorry if you see this twice)