My uncle told me to always double-check the load chart for wind, and yesterday it saved a job.

He's been running tower cranes for 30 years and drilled it into me when I started. We were setting roof trusses on a project in Denver, and the morning forecast said 10 mph gusts. By noon, it was a steady 20 with stronger bursts. I pulled out the chart for our Terex CTT 181-8 and saw our capacity was cut by almost 15% at that wind speed with the boom at our planned angle. We had to re-plan the pick, bring in a smaller bundle, and shift the crane position. It added an hour but kept everything safe. Has anyone else had to make a big last-minute change like that because of wind?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_carr2mo ago

Ever tried a mid-day crane shuffle for wind?

anthonygarcia2mo ago

Oh man, I had to do something like that last week! I ended up just moving the whole setup about twenty feet to the left, behind a small shed. It blocked just enough of the gust to keep things stable without a full teardown.