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c/crane-operatorsuma685uma6851mo agoMost Upvoted

Was dead set against load indicators until one saved my butt last month

I always figured load indicators were just another gadget to add cost and complexity to a job. Been running a Grove RT for about 8 years now and I can read a load chart in my sleep, so I thought I didn't need it. Then we had a job on a site near Austin where I had to lift a 4,200 lb HVAC unit at a super weird radius off a tight corner. I set up like normal and my gut said it was fine, but the load indicator kept flashing yellow. Turns out the ground was softer than I thought and I was actually past my safe radius by almost 2 feet. If I had gone ahead, that thing could have tipped. Now I never override that alarm, even if I think I know better. Has anyone else had a close call that changed their mind on a piece of safety gear?
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3 Comments
phoenix_carter
terry_wood51 calling it a "fluke" is interesting - what's the line between getting lucky and learning something the hard way? You've never had a situation where your gut said one thing but the numbers said another? I'm curious if you trust your own experience more than instruments, or if you've just never run into a job where the ground conditions lied to you.
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jordan_anderson90
Sounds like you got lucky once and now you're fear mongering.
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terry_wood51
Kinda arrogant to assume one fluke proves everyone wrong.
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