Loading…
8
A retired operator in Bakersfield told me the load chart isn't the whole story on soft ground
I was grabbing lunch at a diner off Highway 99 near Bakersfield last month and got talking to a retired operator named Hank who ran a 1970s Manitowoc for a pipeline crew. I mentioned how I stick to the load chart and manufacturer numbers like gospel, and he laughed and asked if I'd ever punched a outrigger through old asphalt in July heat. He talked about a job in the Central Valley where the ground looked fine at 7am but got spongy by 2pm, and he learned to watch the pads sink a half inch before trusting anything. Made me realize I've been reading the book right but not always reading the ground, so now I actually walk my setup before every lift. Any of you older guys got habits like that you picked up the hard way?
0 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In0 Comments
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.