Tried lifting a shipping container in a crosswind and nearly lost it

Ngl, I thought I could handle a 20-foot container in 25 mph gusts out at the Port of Tacoma last Thursday. The wind caught the broad side and the whole load started swinging like a pendulum, almost tipped my crawler. Learned to always check the anemometer before hooking up anything with that much surface area. Anyone else have a close call with wind that made you rethink your limits?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_lane961mo ago

Jumping in here to gently push back on the 25 mph thing. In my experience, most ports and yard supervisors I've worked with won't even let you hook up a 20-foot box once sustained winds hit 20 mph. It's a pretty standard cut off across a lot of sites, especially if it's empty. Your mileage may vary depending on the exact crane and load, but I've seen guys get sent home for trying to lift anything over a flatbed in 25 mph gusts. That's a good rule of thumb to keep in your back pocket for next time, just to be safe.

elliots491mo ago

Wait, 20 mph sustained and they send guys home for flatbeds? That's wild, I've totally hooked up empties in 25+ and just white-knuckled it, guess I've been running on borrowed time.