Hot take: I used to think load charts were just rough guidelines, not hard rules

Had a chat with an old operator named Dave at the yard last Tuesday. He straight up told me 'the chart doesn't care about your gut feeling' after I mentioned I sometimes fudge numbers on lighter picks. He showed me a photo of a crane that tipped at 85% of its rated load because the ground was soft and the operator ignored the outrigger pad specs. That picture stuck with me. I mean, I knew charts were important but I thought there was wiggle room. Anyone else ever get humbled by a senior operator like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_perry381mo agoMost Upvoted

Holy crap, a photo of a crane actually tipped at only 85% load? That's insane to me, I always figured failures happened way past the rated numbers. @garcia.laura I'm with you on getting that same speech, it's like Dave has a script for all of us new guys lol.

garcia.laura1mo ago

Dave at my yard said the same thing after I took a shortcut on a pickup.

the_anthony1mo agoMost Upvoted

Heard some old timer at a different outfit say once that those load charts are actually more about the crane's stability on the boom and the outriggers than the actual weight. Like you can have eighty five percent hanging there but if the ground is soft or your pads aren't spread right it's gonna fold. I mean idk I've seen a few guys get away with sketchy stuff and think they're invincible but then you hear stories like this and it makes you wonder. Maybe it's just me but I always add a little extra room in my head for error even if the math says I'm good.