Switched from tag lines to a remote control system for my crawler crane last week

I always thought tag lines were the only safe way to control load swing on tight jobsites. Then my buddy Mike insisted I try his remote control setup on a steel beam placement in a narrow alley downtown. Saved me 3 hours of setup time and I didn't need a second guy on the ground. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony8832d ago

Read a safety report from a few months back that said remote control systems actually cut swing-related accidents by about 40 percent on tight sites. I was skeptical too, thought I'd lose all that fine control you get with a tag line. But after watching a demo on YouTube from a crane school, I saw how easy it is to feather the boom and swing with just a thumb joystick. The big thing for me is not needing that second guy on the ground who might slip or misread signals. I'd say just make sure you train with it on an empty hook first, get the muscle memory down. Trust but verify, you know.

eva_lewis1d ago

Man, I gotta admit I was dead wrong about these things for years. Always thought tag lines were the only way to keep a load under control in tight spots, but that second guy on the ground is a real weak link sometimes. Saw a buddy nearly lose a beam because his signal man got distracted by traffic noise, and that got me curious about the remote setups. Watched a few training vids and tried one out on a small job, and honestly the thumb joystick gives you way more feel than I expected. Still keep a tag line in the truck for backups, but yeah, I'm sold on the switch now.