Old timer in Tulsa corrected my rigging math, saved my butt

I always assumed my load chart reading was spot on, but a retired operator named Dale watched me set up a 45 ton pick last month and pulled me aside. He pointed out I was ignoring the boom deflection at that radius, said "the book lies when the wind pushes back." I recalculated with his adjustment and the actual lift was nearly 3,000 lbs heavier than I planned. Has anyone else gotten a gut check from a veteran that changed their whole approach to chart math?

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drew96521d ago

I used to think the chart was gospel and any guy adding his own fudge factor was just guessing. Then a guy named Merle told me about soft ground and outrigger float, and how the chart assumes a solid pad that ain't always there. We tested it on a small pick and the load cell read almost 900 lbs over what the chart said. That day I stopped treating the book like it was written by God and started reading the site first.

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