Heard a foreman in Tacoma say 'The load chart is a suggestion, not a law'

He was talking about a 90-ton lift we did last Tuesday, arguing with the site manager about wind. It made me realize I've been treating the book like gospel without enough thought for the actual conditions. How much do you guys adjust from the chart numbers on the fly?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelaellis2mo ago

Remember the chart is the law, but your eyes on the actual site are the judge.

joseph_hart2mo ago

Honestly sounds like people take this stuff way too seriously. It's just a chart, not a court case. Tbh we could all chill a bit.

the_phoenix1mo ago

Got a buddy who tried to follow the chart to the letter on a site last month, measured everything out like it was gospel... ended up missing a huge load bearing wall that wasn't on any plan because some contractor in the 80s moved it. @angelaellis always says trust your gut on site, and that day my buddy learned it the hard way when his crew had to redo half the framing. Charts are great, but they don't tell you about the weird patch job someone did twenty years ago.