Old timers used to say don't chase the load, now everyone's got a new opinion

I was on a site in Cleveland last April and watched a younger guy get his boom all twisted up trying to follow a panel right through a tight gap. My foreman back in 2008 always told me to set up your swing radius first and then let the load come to you. It just seems like a lot of operators nowadays rely too much on the tagline crew and forget the basics of where your boom actually needs to sit. Anybody else notice this shift in the last 5 years or so?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_claire1mo agoTop Commenter

My brother worked a job in Pittsburgh last fall where the younger operator spent 45 minutes trying to finesse a 14-ton unit through a window opening, when he could have just swung the boom to the far side and let the load settle into the spot in half the time. Are these new guys even being taught to read the radius chart anymore, or is it all just joystick feel and hoping for the best?

karenw231mo ago

Used to think it was all about feel. This changes my mind.