How to Operator a Tower Crane: Hanging Iron
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2016
- This is what it's like from the operators perspective to hang iron. All of these speeds are considerably faster than you would see with concrete work even though we are 300' above the work and in the blind. The signalling here is really what it is supposed to be like. You hear him call off the trolley (Boom) let the drift happen then 4 to 5 seconds later you hear for him call for a second one. That's a catch. That is how you safely run a crane and control the load. You are putting these beams that weigh 1000's of pounds into the hands of people standing on beams. It needs to be both controlled and quick. If you aren't doing it this way, you are doing it wrong.
Hanging Iron in the US is the next level of operating and most people never get to this level. I don't like to run like this. It's so mentally taxing that I get headaches. Some of the operators that can do it can't run with anyone else because they expect this level from everyone signalling them. They take pride in being able to get this work done and nothing less is good enough. It can become dangerous if they can't slow themselves down to match the signal persons abilities.
Sorry for the poor quality. It was a last minute thought to do this. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I went from being an ironworker to operator. It is still mentally exhausting and intense doing my best to get er done for them, but it's all worth it at the end of the day. They are better around thr crane than any other trade.
I agree on the exhaustion. As a whole, I agree on the IW's being the best. The biggest challenge is they are cocksure confident (makes sense for the trade) and they make mistakes that show up working in the blind. If you can get one that dials it back 5% to be sure they are calling every signal off, It's a good day. This guy in the video is Owen. He and I went through the Ironworkers apprenticeship at the same time. He was always on it.
@@rotyag I was an ironworker before becoming an ironworker, so they will always be my favorite to work with. Hanging iron can be a lot of fun with a good crew. I will always dial it back a bit in the blind. Too much can go wrong.
Awesome video, and love the cliff notes on signals and radio speak for Operator to ground teamwork. I may consider getting into tower crane operation after I red seal on mobile cranes.
Keep the great video tutorials coming!
I have a lot of respect for you and your occupation. I am currently running ground level heavy equipment doing dirt work and cranes are definitely a dream of mine, seems like the logical next step. Thanks for the video and the comments they're very informative.
Go mobile 1st then tower.
awesome video. love hearing workers in action
Nice video. I got to go up in a 630 about a month ago, 340ft. they let me put a camera up in the cab and on the block to film the last pour of the bridge tower. was an interesting experience that's for sure. I'd like to run a tower at some point, but hate the climb up.... keep the vids coming!
Cool video mate, as a crane operator myself.. currently on 355 liebherr luffing crane. I understand how communication between the dogman and operator is important.. although the instructions the dogman is giving you don't make much sense to me.. crane operating 101 as long as the communication is constant and you the operator understand the Lingo... it really doesn't matter how it gets from A to B. As long as it's done safely. Keep up the good work, UP ON THE HOOK!
Subscribed! Just reading comments from this is entertaining enough! Surprised how some of these operators can get their heads through the trap door.
Running a Wolff 8036 at the moment 84m jib. It’s not a Ferrari!
Have a safe one!
Ben
There are a ton of operators who just get to a given level. They'll never get further and they don't know how it's done at that next level of production. Then they feel certain, even arrogant, about the right way to do things. If you can't do 17 lift cycles an hour or hang 140 pieces of iron a day with your crew, then there is room for improvement. I signal similarly as a signal person. On Monday I erected one of my tower cranes 36 meters under hook, 55 meters of reach in 3.5 hours. Not everyone will agree with the method, but the results are pretty respectable. What's funny is how easy it is from the signal perspective, but how hard it is from the operator's perspective to track it all.
That is incredible, you've got to have some crazy skills to just stare out the window lol
You have a gift not only operating but your ability to explain things in a way that is understandable is something of value. I started off doing taxi work and got involved with minor Crane erection and began shadowing operator and then doing fill in work. started running towers full time a little over a year ago. I catch on pretty quickly to things and I am constantly trying to get smoother and faster while remaining safe. your example of thinking about the functions as stored energy has helped greatly. what do you mean you're a crane certified? would that be similar to someone who does third party inspections? keep the educational info coming and good luck with your company!
In Washington State we have accredited crane certifiers sign off on the cranes. It would be similar to how say California does it except that they don't have to be financially disinterested here.
In NYC stop means stop. Up means up
J. D. Fucking A. All this stuff they’re saying in this video is confusing
If the signals are established and the operator and ground man are in sync it isn't confusing. There are no useless words or inaudible chatter. The operator knows what the signal man wants and the signal man is confident he is gonna get what he wants when he asks for it. This is operation in the blind at height 101. This video should be shown in tower crane classrooms.
in miami its cable up and down....swing right swing left....trolly in trolly out.....and bump
Just wanted to say this is the probably the best tower crane operating video I have ever watched. I have watched it many times and it has directly influenced the way I signal and operate.
Roytag you are thinking wayyyy faster than most can even comprehend. Hence all the haters on this comment stream. Honestly having this kind of system and comradeship with a crew doesn't happen to many guys. So it is understandable that people do not understand. There are not many of us out there unfortunately, and when we try to tell people what is possible they deem it as "unsafe". When in reality it is safer than their "safe" way. I like to say I am a progressive operator, where most are reactive. If somebody has a different way of doing it in want to know about it cause maybe it is better than my way.
58 floors in less than a year is insane. I hope to be on a project that is that efficient at some point in my career.
Last thing. I took the tower crane course 3 years ago up here in Canada and the class instructor (who had no tower crane experience btw) used your inspection video and climbing video. I told him about this one and we watched it and he didn't like it. Told us it would cause an accident working like this. I argued for about 2 hours with him, loved every second of it.
Thank you for the compliment. This system isn't mine, but it's what is done with the good operators in Seattle. It's mostly ironworkers that signal like that. 80 to 90% of tower operators are not going to run like this. Guys that have had great careers in concrete show up on a big iron job and they find themselves being replaced in a few days.
You won't necessarily have an accident doing this as a practice. But if you put anyone in the mix that isn't ready for this level of signaling, it will lead to incidents. I am of the opinion that you have to train people to signal like this where a skilled operator can see them and correct the errors. The signal person in the rebar column video had zero training when he found himself under my hook. He was employee of the year in his company the next year. Great signal person with modest guidance. The point being, I agree that you shouldn't run like this unless both sides are ready for it. I would hope that by the time you are in 40 and 50 story buildings that you know exactly what you are doing. If you don't know how to go for a catch, you have no business working with a crane from 800'. That's the real disaster. If we don't expect much of our people, we won't get much.
I hope you get a chance to hang iron with a good company one day. It's an experience. I was a decent ironworker, but I never got to play on the big iron myself. It would have been fun. At least I've been on the other side of the hook doing it if only for a week at a time filling in. I'm no longer in a seat since I own a crane company. I'm half behind a computer and half in the field erecting or servicing these days.
Best of luck in where your career takes you.
Ironworker here. Will be getting my NCCCO tower license soon brother...anything to get off that ground & make more money
Good Luck Charlie. That's about the same route I went. The nice thing about going from hanging iron in a raising gang to the seat is being able to visualize what the team needs. I would suggest going and working in wood frame to start with. Jumping in and hanging iron would be a humbling experience for most. But if you can just put wood in the hands of guys that really don't care about placement and get your depth perception and start slowly and smoothly and add speed over time, you'll have a fighting chance. You really need a couple of years of getting good. Pushing yourself even when people aren't asking you to before you hang iron. You get the concept of hanging, you just have to stock the tool belt before you give it a run. Even different cranes... they all run so differently and not having a series of tricks worked out before you go to hang iron would be frustrating. There are lots of "One more thing" to learn scenarios and you'll do well to pay attention to the nuance of each boring task you have to do 1000 times before you are really excelling at pulling levers. Find patience for the trades that are slower and not what you want and use that time to learn to be good with the crane and you'll be a monster operator coming from hanging iron.
Doing my luffer and saddle now. Looks great
+Mark Couper Good Luck! It can be a fun career if you fall in to the right groove.
Nice video again! :) just wonder with that sort of load 15 Tones +- what gears are you using on the crane wen lifting in the "all clear" at maximum capacity close to the cab, is the crane cuting the speed down?
I show the 550 will hoist up to 20 tons @ 27 meters per minute. It's pinned the whole way because it's so slow. It's fine for what it's doing and all, but compared to hanging steel...
Very interesting video. I suppose you guy's just pound through lunch and coffee breaks too. Well hang in there gentlemen.
@roytag great video. I'm a new tower operator out of the 487 and wanted your advice. It seems to me the most difficult part of Operating so far has been controlling the block when cabled down near the ground and traveling long distances. Any tips on making it as smooth as possible???
by the way I'm running a Peiner SK315 about 250ft up and 148ft of boom.
+max hyppolite When you are 250 feet up, your movements up top don't affect the block/load for 3-4 seconds. If you are trying to move a short distance, like 10 feet, you'll want to move 5 feet or so and stop that function. When the load starts to move that direction, you basically chase out that energy you just stored in the load with the next five foot movement. I find that thinking of it as storing as dissipating energy and our basic science classes is the way that it makes sense for me. If your crane is responsive (I think the 315's were as I recall) wait until the load is about to be straight under your function (trolley or swing) and as is moving through straight down, move in the same direction that five foot movement.
If you are going longer distances, I will start slow. If it's the trolley on 315, I would just engage first step for say one second, stop for two seconds, then re-engage it. This keeps the pendulum from getting too big. If it's a really long distance, I will start in first, and when the load starts to move at the same speed as the trolley, I'll go for second step. What's happening is you have stored energy in the load by engaging first step. That energy builds and load is going to have move speed than the trolley. To dissipate it, you add speed to the trolley as soon as the load starts to move quickly. The timing of doing this determines if you want to go faster or slower and it varies by elevation.
For the swing, you should be able to feather it. Small quick engagements of first step, to longer ones, to fully engaging first step and usually by the time you should be engaging in second because the load is getting close to full speed as well, you should be able to go for second or third step immediately without much loss of control.
On variable controls you just roll into it and out of it. If our timing is good and we are smooth, you won't need to go for a "catch" very often.
Being smooth will be your first mental task. Once your mind figures out the timing, then you can push for more speed. Even tall the cranes can be ran at full speed. But the timing is different. And when you get it wrong it's super exaggerated.
TLDR: So for short distances, move half of the distance, wait for the drift, then move the other half.
For Long distances, get the action going slowly, then when the load begins to move, add speed. Make sure your brain is seeing 4 seconds ahead and not just where the load is now. If you have 4 seconds of energy stored, it's going to keep moving even after you stop.
Sk315 ?? Haha that’s a baby crane with a 4 part line . You need to be smoother when you start and when you slow down . Just do Little bumps on the joy stick .
That you for the response.
? what is the name of your company?
Working on the new tower across from the Columbia Tower ( former Seafirst Tower ) in the 80's early 90's at the intersection of 5th Ave and Columbia streets in downtown Seattle, Wa.
Patrick Kelly Thanks for your hard work. My company delivered all the steel. Enjoyed that job, those boys unloading do a fantastic job. Working with them on Amazon block 20 now.
Is there an option of wearing a head set instead? Sorry if this is a stupid question but i don't know anything about the industry just getting interested.
Crazy ,standing on a 6 in beam wondering , maybe that hook on job is the place to be. I got my 45000 hrs out of local 86 and the work will wake you up. Crazy all those years and all the fights down
at the old hall in Seattle. Stories always told twice as big as the last time told. Retirement is good but I miss the sounds of wild men on a sea of beams.
Very cool video thanks for posting it just reinforces why you told me to become a signal man first before I even become a tower crane operator. I wanted to ask you I have gotten a sponsor with bragg crane and rigging. They are going to train me and have me work on both hydro and crawler cranes as well as have me be a signal man. Do you think this will be valuable training and experience before I try to move on to the tower cranes later on in my career.
+The690ELC Yeah. Working on crawlers and hydros bring a lot of the same experiences. You'll be oiling and maybe some rigging which is all really important. The oiling will expose you to the mechanical side as well as an experienced operator who is going to tell you everything they know. You'll have to judge what advice to hold on to long term as we all have different styles.
The rigging experience will play out in recognizing what is going on on the ground from a tower. You'll be able to stop a problem and re-direct the rigger before they make a choice you don't agree with. It's just a good way to go. You'll know which end of the column form is up without being told. You'll know what the next move is in the construction phase and you can tree and extra piece in to save a move because you know , "Hey, that column form is going to need bracing, so toss the bracing on the lows with the column on the high hooks." And a separate pick is saved. Then you have time to make videos.
Thanks for the advice my plan is to get established with working around and in cranes. I have been told that once I am in the crane circle I will get to know other crane and rigging companies. I hope to get to know the tower crane guys so I can maybe get a job as a tower crane operator. From what I understand it is all about expierence and knowing the right people.
I am an apprentice 4 Union 673 and working at SIMS crane was just wondering.
What path should I take in regards of getting into Tower cranes?
I would just let the apprenticeship coordinator know. Maybe your business agent too. Don't harass them, but stay in their ear ever couple of months. Eventually they will hear of an opportunity. You'll want a small crane on a slower paced job to start. If you don't cut it on the first one, don't be surprised. It might take a couple of jobs while you are learning and to find the right personality fit to give you that learning opportunity. When it happens, remember to lear to be smooth and accurate. Then add speed as you go. Anyone can just send down a dangerous mess. Coming in hot and under control is where you'll make a great career.
Can you make a video about some of the visual qs you're using? I have good vision but I'm struggling with perspective. I.e. identifying the block swing especially if flying blind, do you look at the cable? You had mentioned watching the tilt of the block, that's helpful. Insight on what my eyeballs need to be looking at.
Also, if swinging and trolleying/booming simultaneously, how do you go about catching that? 1 function at a time?
I'm scared to death of a long cable and exaggerated swing taking people or buildings out like a wrecking ball. I'd probably play that song on the mic when it started happening lol
By the way thanks for the videos! They are helpful. Any jobs in Austin? :😜
Hey Christopher. I'm no longer running cranes. I went on to own them. I don't even have a license anymore. I only get to pull levers at the yard in a small mobile anymore.
I have seen angles changed and chased it for coming up on a load, or as I go over an edge into the blind. But at some point, it has to be left to the person in the blind. Either they are qualified, or someone needs to removed them until they are. I've always found success in bringing those folks up into visible areas then spending five minutes showing the concept of catching the hook, then having them mirror a qualified signal person for a half day. Then they can start to work on it when it's visible to the operator for a while. Eventually they'll get the concept and be able to safely perform it. The challenge might be in getting support from a job to bring everyone up to speed.
I can snapshot the big picture of what the hook is doing and chase it in all three dimensions. The biggest question is knowing the crane so my brain just does it. I'm not consciously thinking do this, or that. I can. But it's all pretty fluid after I'm used to a crane. I don't recall how long that took. 6 months... year? But I also had a solid understanding and sat behind very good operators to grasp the picture before I started. A jumpstart if you will. A person can function as an operator if this never comes as an ability. It's just a question of how good they will be. Not everyone wants to work at top speed. I've been guilty of making people uncomfortable. And the people on the ground have to perform similarly. So operators like me are not everyone's dream. There is a place for all of us. If I could give advice on this point, it would be that you don't want to push passed what you are safely capable of. You don't want to play that music. Moreover, great operators can sometimes be on that edge and have accidents. It's a very fine line between maximizing the crane, the operator, and calling 911. I don't want to call anyone out, but there are plenty of people that will tell you they are the best, but they've also seen more than a single ambulance on a job site due to their actions.
@@rotyag good advice and thinking points. I appreciate you writing that up. And thanks again for the videos. Will keep watching some of your other ones and shadowing other operators
Does this crane have litronic swing motors? Like the 542 luffers ? I don’t here the clicking of the swing coupling motors like the older ones . Those swing motors could be called squirrel cage motors?
I can't say that I've ran a 542. I dropped out of conventional operating just as my next project was slated to be running one. They are Litronic swing motors on this 2015? Litronic. I don't know how the rotors are constructed. They are quiet. I don't recall if there was any noise as you engaged the motors for load. Seems like it was all feel with the fluid couplers. I'm speaking complete non-sense, but it feels like all of the motors I have noticed on the large Liebherrs are of the same housing. As if they have enough power to push all of their mid to large cranes around.
Wrote this then went to look up the spec. The 316's to the 550 have the same 7.5 kw motors. Same hoist motor speed, different gearbox. The 630's go to a 10.6 kw motor. and the 542's go to an 11 kw motor. They could indeed make different sounds. The 540's were still in use when I was an erector in Seattle putting up Liebherr's.
rotyag thanks for the info . Do you remember at all if it felt like the 630s do. The reason I ask is the 542 luffer I’m operating does not have the same feel to the 630 swing motors . The 550 you are operating on your video swing operations is not litronic just curious your thoughts on how that 2015 model felt to you? The 540 luffers have the same swing motors as that older 550 and in my opinion is the best swing motors to have . I feel like in this 542 I am currently running you can’t control the swing as well as you could in the older ones . Just from my experience you can really get these newer luffers out of control if your not careful with how much you counter swing or put in the joystick . I guess I’m just wondering if you felt like that at all in this newer 550 you were in ? Great video btw . People don’t realize how dangerous crane operating is . So much respect to you and to all my fellow operators out there.
@@sik50usa I felt like the 550 could really get up and move for a big crane. There was a serious issue that needed to be addressed. Not sure if it was. Our old methid of slow movements of tapping the control was not possible at the sane frequency. It would throw an error that would give 50%+torque in the opposite direction. Hit the e-srop kind of error. It was ugly. So I had to really limit how much I would tap the swing.
I've ran 630's. Pretty sure they were all pre 2005 ech models. It's far enough back that I can remember nuanced details. I can hardly get away from the computer screen to erect equipment let alone sit in a seat. I am burdened in office sales, planning, contracts and safety these days. Some of it is awesome, some of it really sucks.
rotyag I can only imagine what the office life is . Thanks for the reply again. You are the only person to really post anything about tower cranes on TH-cam which is great. I wish I could do some signaling videos for a tower crane on TH-cam . It’s crazy how some bellman will phone you in like you said in this video they will pepper you with signals . I have one more question if you could reply that would be great . When Owen said to boom up did you boom up as fast as the crane would let you? Full throttle?
@@sik50usa a solid paced boom up. If you are going a long way with the Erection Company, I would say you are moving at 70% or 200 ft/ 60m a min. If uou are moving to a new pile of iron, maybe it's at 80 ft/24 m per min. They will call the catch. The hard part for most good operators with Iron workers around here is we spend years helping people stay safe and productive. With them, you give up that control and let them call it. That comes with obvious safety challenges. Owen was always on top of it. That job had issues when i wasn't in the seat. Not every sognal person is attentive enough to run that way.
Would it be worth going to a trade school such as ATS to get my NCCCO certifications myself? Or joining a union? Considering making a career change. Starting with cdl, then rigger/signal person, then mobile crane 1&2, and lastly tower crane and digger Derrick. Its a total of 13 weeks and a little under 30k investment. I'm currently saving the money and only 7 months out from hitting my 35k mark. I dont wanna walk out if school in debt. But also wanna know im making a great decision. Any insight from your seat would be great. Thank you for your time.
I was hoping you could she'd some light and help me to understand something a bit more. I'm currently in a peiner sk 415 in L9 configuration.(246 ft jib) with a hook height around 150 ft. while operating in higher wind speeds (15-20mph sustained) and sometimes not even that high of wind speeds, I'm finding It difficult to dissipate the energy built up in the tower. I call it tower torque.
scenario: when going to place a load and the direction I face puts the wind directly to the side of my jib, I'm finding it hard to keep the load under control once I have stopped. I usually swing a little past where I need to be to compensate for the wind but once I'm in my final position and set the brake I begin getting the delayed whipping effect. do you have any explanation/advice on dealing with getting rid of the energy stored in the tower in both windy and non windy conditions?
I can't say that I have ran a new Peiner. Just the old PECCO versions. So I will assume they are free swinging cranes with reactive motors and just tell you what I would do.
On a tall crane with that much boom in it, you aren't going to be able to deal with the tower torque and the reflections like a operator would want to in just letting work out a couple of times and setting the brake. So if it were all visible and the winds were pretty bad, I would chase it to minimize the load swinging as the lesser of two evils. We both know that if you just sit there on the brake you can get that build up of energy making the load pretty unsafe. In the blind, they pretty much have to deal with it. But if you can see it, you can chase it. You'll just want to let your signal person know what you are doing so they can gain that trust.
A guy that I learned from would run in winds over 60 mph with good signal people. Of course he's just coming in hot and getting out immediately. The swing brakes wouldn't hold that, but the old PECCO motors would. What he would do is watch the horizon as soon as he was stabilized and hoisting down. He would fixate on a distant target and vary the steps based on how hard the wind was pushing. I've done this. It can be done but it's pretty concentration intense. So I choose to just lock it down until the swinging is too much for my taste and then I go to chasing the load to remove the excess swinging and back to locked down. With that process I have ran well past our limits as long as the load doesn't have too much surface and the brakes hold. Like for tables on concrete buildings. If you have enough guys to catch it... Okay... But if the load has much for wind surface to turn it into a kite or if I am running a flat top where the side load has the potential to collapse the boom, I am all too happy to point to that anemometer and say, "nope".
Gaytor Rasmussen
60 mph?! The limit on most tower cranes is 35-38 mph, isn't it? Anything over 45 mph can blow the jib backwards (luffer jibs) or collapse the whole crane. I don't even sit in the cab when it starts gusting 60 mph... Usually I stop working when gust goes above 35 mph. Safety first!
The old PECCO/Peiners have three swing motors on the 400's. They had huge amounts of torque available. On windy days the way to run it was honestly get set up over your point, grab a horizon reference and feather the swing varying the power to match the wind gusts. You wouldn't even use the brakes.
The problem with doing that is structurally, what is your crane good for? If you are lifting near the tip, how much load are you putting on the jib and what is the weak point. It's not unheard of for jibs to snap under wind loads. Especially the flat tops because they are narrower.
Also, many cranes have wind load charts based on the surface size of the load. Potain's are a notable one. Liebherr's don't in any of the manuals I have dug through. I have ran into the 50's personally. The last time was with "tables" where there wasn't much in the way of surface to catch the wind loading. The downside is that these normally light and easy loads were dancing. The crane was completely controllable, so I left it to the comfort of the guys on the deck. At the same time, I have refused to lift gang panels at 17 mph because even with two tag lines, it's gonna be a mess.
35 is a pretty good number. I don't think anyone would say much about shutting down in those speeds. Especially with cranes that don't have counter torque in the swing.
Jib out, in, up, down, left, right, STOP. Simples
Do you ever get nervous with the flex of the tower? I'm a crane operator currently on a Manitowoc 222 driving pile. I have some experience in a tower at our apprenticeship training center. How bad is it at 500+ ft?
Yes and no. It crosses my mind, but it's in passing. I've been on a tower crane overloaded to 130%. I've erected the old school PECCO cranes on loose bolts to 300'. We had a problem with the eddy current and it not causing a brake to set recently while load testing and we dropped 26,000 lbs on a 316 getting near the moment limit from a foot up or so. Super violent and the crane was fine. What we see in the field is not going to collapse one of these cranes assuming that everything is set up correctly. That's not to say we should treat them poorly.
The tower deflection at 800' is the same as it is at 400'. The collars that tie the into the building only have a couple of inches of movement. Their purpose is the hold the crane plumb and to limit torsional moment below the collar. So the biggest issue with a collar is making sure it's all installed right. During your climb each day, checking to be sure the pins are staying in place. I have seen them walk up due to the reactions and cause damage to the cotter pin keepers. But it takes time for that action to happen, so just glance at them daily.
I've tracked a lot of tower crane accidents on a blog I used to keep up with. I honestly don't recall seeing a secured tie in collar fail other than in NYC where the problem was that they dropped the one that was higher which cause the lower ones to fail. In Portland last year a collar wasn't secured properly (rumors) and it dropped some. The crane was still secure. It needed to be repaired of course.
These cranes are so tough that in Chicago, a decade or so ago, a crane had an internal spigot break. That's the piece that connects the towers together. It was a manufacturing defect that happened twice to my knowledge. The crane tower legs separated probably 1.5 inches from where it would normally sit and so now it's just on three legs instead of four and two of those are under enormous stress. They managed to secure the crane and safely get it down. The pics are crazy. I got them, but out of context of knowing what everything is supposed to look like, it wouldn't make much sense.
I've found numerous towers over the years that have been missing welds for decades that never show any signs of buckling or cracking on the other welds. Tower cranes seem unnatural, but if they are used as intended, they are really impressive as engineering pieces.
The 4600 Mani is My favorite!
Crawler
What’s the first step into actually learning his type of stuff? Do I have to take the nccco because I talked to this tower crane operator and he said that I can that take and that I could tell the superintendent to let me up there with him but I never had the balls to do it. I don’t wanna go to college because Idk what to major in. So this is basically the only thing I have in my mind that I want to do but idk the first step of what I have to do😞
I started as an ironworker myself. While this is a great way to learn that side of the hook, it's not a career for everyone. I would suggest that if your area has decent union representation in construction, to join the Operating Engineers and become a rigger. You'll hook loads up to the cranes and learn the trade from an important side. If you put me on a job, it would be less than a day and I would have a good idea what our next task is before anyone says anything. That's not because I'm a smart man, it's because it's repetitive. Then knowing each part, how it rigs up to the crane the best and so forth can keep you out of incidents. When you end up in the seat you'll see things that some operators never see because they were never riggers. It's an important part of the trade to be honest.
Getting a crane seat typically requires training these days. In my state, you need 500 hours of supervised training. That's a challenge. Who will pay you for those 500 hours, or the operator watching you? This is why I suggest the unions. The one I am in has a training center for this reason. You do a year or two of rigging and then maybe you are ready for a small crane. Start small and work your way up over say a three to four year period. I can run with anyone, but I really prefer the small wood frame apartment projects. They work 45 to 50 hours a week which is enough income. But you don't have to wake up at 2 AM to climb a crane to sit in it until 6 or 7 at night six days a week like you might on a highrise. Great, I have my mark made on a building, and it has it's mark made on my life. It's all a balance thing.
Best of luck.
I'm a tower crane driver and when I was looking at this video I had the feeling I've never worked as one! Are you working with steel erectors- erecting metal beams etc? Have you got a Banksmen too?
The banksman is someone who is a part of the ironworking crew. I am just doing exactly what he asks in this case.They have up to five pieces of steel on the hook in this video. Every time you hear them say "Choker" it is another piece going on the hook. It's fast paced. When I work with other trades I have to slowdown or it makes people uncomfortable. Ironworkers are aggressive and nearly out of control, but they are very skilled here in the US.
Thank you for the compliment.
rotyag
So it's a bit different in the USA. The last couple of weeks I've been erecting a steel building working on Linden Comansa trolley jib, 11LC 160, 30 metres below hook block, 50 metre long jib. We only take 1 piece of metal at a time, using standard communication, i.e. "Trolley in, trolley out, slew left, slew right, up on the hoist in one, two, three, etc, etc." This type of communication is used on all sites and it's always like this. Sometimes the steel erector(s) have Banksmen ticket as well and they bank me, sometimes they use my Banksmen, I mean the one that is working with me every day. What I saw in the video is just crazy, I don't think I could do that. Good job! Take care!
Hey, I find that offense as I am one of those other trades( Plumbers 130 out of Chicago) , lol but nah i am not I get it we don't get to use the crane as much but some of the pipe we pick has to be picked and set carefully otherwise it cracks and we have to re order it and restart all over but good video man.
Tower crane driver 😂
J. D. Lol i know right. I remember watching my first few European crane videos and thinking why the hell are they calling them drivers lol. But that’s what they use. Funny guys
Who did you have on the phones? Im guessing since you are in seattle it was an e company job. Ironworker out of portland local 29. Different to hear it from operators point of veiw
Owen with the e co. I don't recall his last name. He and I went through the Local 86 apprenticeship at the same time but different classes. He's a great signalman. The worst part for me is not doing it everyday and just filling in I'll miss a few signals on a given day between the noise and the mental taxation. It's so much better when you work in a crane with the same crew everyday.
Ya all those Erection company raising gang hands are bang up!! Got to work with them in portland a few years ago and was amazed.
If you're no longer operating, what are you doing now?
+Diesel and Iron Operations Manager for a company that supplies operators. I am a crane certifier in my state. I am starting a crane erecting company with the first crane going up next month. And I own three tower cranes with an eye on a bigger deal to own more. That should all lead to some fun new videos as it settles down to business as usual instead of feeling like I am wearing too many hats. Eventually some of those duties will have to go away in favor of a bigger picture.
Wow, sounds like a lot going on. Looking forward to the new videos. You're an excellent operator and I appreciate the time you take to explain everything.
How to you get in your crane and how long time it takes? Are
Tower Crane electric powered?
Cranes have ladder systems and rest platforms typically every 19 feet, or 6 meters. It's all very safe. I've climbed a crane that was 278' in less than 6 minutes. That's sweat inducing. It should take 20 minutes for that height to allow for inspecting the crane. They are electric powered. In the US it would be 3 phase 480v, 60 hz and anywhere from 63 to 300 amps. It all varies based on the size of the motors and the age of the design.
So you mean that this beast is plugged into mains power? How to they climb the power cables when they are claiming the Crane? Have you had bad power falers? To you bring your lunch up to the cab ?
The power is fed through large cords that go up with the crane. Usually we'd have a strain relief ever 100 feet ( 30 meters). If we are to climb, then we pull it up enough slack with the crane itself to allow it to climb the distance we are adding. On the crane in this video, the guys had some sort of error and they hit the cord with a beam. It broke one of the legs of power inside. So they have to climb up with tools and secure it all.
I have had the power die while in operation once. I was working at full speed and all of the brakes locked up. it was pretty violent. In the engineering of the crane, they plan for this and the brakes are designed so they don't impose enough force to topple the crane. But it's still pretty violent.
Operators take up everything they need for the day. On many jobs there are no breaks. When one group of workers takes a break, the next group takes over the crane. I would eat things like baby carrots so I can grab one and eat it and get my hands back on the controller quickly. It's fast paced in highrise work.
im 25 and looking to become a crane tower operator i use to rigg before any advice where to start?
david oliva become an operating engineer
wtf signals are ??? Stop job
You are good operator to listen to that and lift. Crazy. In NYC I knock guy with ball
On the West Coast, that's just how it's done. It takes a long time to get used to the jargon and what is meant by each signal. The process makes the production really quick. But it is really taxing (tiring) mentally to keep it all in your mind at that pace. If people saw the speed and smooth hook, they would quickly adopt the practice. But it's a limited groups of operators that can run with the crew in here. I was just filling in.
Jesus these are the strangest dogging directions I have ever heard .What on earth . "High" means stop ?????? "Choker" means hoist up ????
It can. Only with the Iron workers. With 90% of everyone else, it's just used as a notification that we are about to get tight on the rigging. I would only recognize it as the signal if I thought that I was working with someone experienced.
Don't know why they need to be shouting anyway what happened to the signals? fuck me I wouldn't listen to that crap all day.
lliambunter signals don't work in the blind.
I'm well aware of that idiot we (in a normal country) would have a banksman signalling from the top , who can see, another thing we didn't do was look at a fuckin screen to see what radius we were at you can't look a t a screen when you're supposed to be operating a fuckin crane, but that's where experience comes in.
dimetilldeath, "High" is the universal verbal construction signal for Stop whatever you're doing. My last 6 years as a crane operator were operating tower cranes in the San Francisco Bay area. I gained weight on that job snacking on junk food while waiting for "picks."
I notice you don’t look down, are u just listening and watching your cable ahead?
In this case, yes. They are 300' below and I have the elevator core in the way. So I can't see anything to help anyone out down below. Just watching my speeds, distances and loads on the screen and the rope movement. Those 2015 and newer Liebherrs have a delay in the functions. You can easily get too much speed as it takes a second plus for the movement to start from the hand motion.
Thanks, I enjoy your videos 👍🏼
What happened to cabel up cable down swing left swing right swing stop lol
Alphadogpredators saying cable is just an extra word that is not needed. Swing means stop your swing . Your just adding another word that is not needed . These guys go fast and adding those extra signals is not needed .
Anybody know if it's a possibility to be a crane operator if you have dui's?
It doesn't make a difference in most states. There are some cities that may have different regulations like Philadelphia or New York. You just want to be honest with yourself about how much you drink and the job demands. I won't drink more than one or two if I have to work the next day. A ton of focus is required all day.
Lurp Jr. you can
i am trying to become a tower crane opertor in miami im 18.... where could i get classes??
I am an advocate for the unions. I have been a member of two of them and as a contractor, I'm signatory with two of them. They can take you from no experience to being actually qualified to do the work. They'll also pay you during the process. Most people can learn the sequence of pulling the levers of a crane. But doing the work teaches you why and how to plan for each step of the job. You'll avoid incidents by knowing what the people in the field are going to need and frankly sometimes saving them from themselves. I think there are a few schools. They must be terribly expensive for it to make sense. I would point you to the Operating Engineers. In Miami it's Local 487. www.iuoe487.org/ Get paid to learn as you climb the ladder. It will make you a better operator. Best of luck!
@@rotyag thanks a lot man I appreciate it I will look into it 👍🏽
You own your own crane rental house? I thought one of the videos you said you own one of the towers. Is this your tower?
Not this one. I was an Operations Manager for a company that had 40 tower crane operators at this time. I was also starting a company at the same time. Today I own 6 smaller tower cranes and 6 Material Hoists. We supply cranes from the foundation engineering, erect, operation and so on to the crane dismantle. We also erect cranes for others.
I'm really interested in this field, but I'm a little confused on where to start. I'm assuming it's best to get certified first and then start logging hours on the cranes. I'm thinking of attending the Tower Crane School of Phoenix since it's pretty local for me.
www.towercraneschoolphoenix.com/
Problem is, they won't provide me the names of any big construction companies in Arizona who would be willing to give them a positive recommendation.
Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations for me?
I don't know how well the schools work. To be fair, I don't work in that world. The classes should be able to teach you basic principles. Maybe some critical inspection criteria that can get missed with on the job training, and so forth. But you'll learn to be an operator in live situations.
I don't have any opinion on the school in Phoenix. It may be that they want to protect their referrals by not telling you, and it may be that they don't have a good reputation. I can say that up here in Seattle, I don't know anyone who went that route. But they have been around a while so they must be finding success somewhere.
I would redirect you to the Operating Engineers. You won't pay for the training. While you are working in the field, you'll get a decent starting wage that is often 60 to 65% of the journeyman wage. The only time this isn't good advice is when you live an a strongly non-union area.
Another option is to call tower crane rental companies and ask who they rent to so you can speak to someone about what they need to break in. Go to large sites and ask who you can talk to about learning to run the crane. You'll get booted from a site or two, but it's worth the ask. Stafford is a name I have heard as a contractor in Phoenix a number of times in conversations. But it's not really a tower crane town because the town can spread so much. It seems like every time I am in town there are one or two and that's it. Hopefully I am dead wrong, but that's my perception as a passer-through. Best of luck.
If there's guys yelling and different guys giving signals then I'm heading down to have a little chat, the only voice I want to hear is my banksman, did that clown say boom down?
There's only one person giving the signals. The guy signalling is a great signal person. The style is just different than you are used to. This crew can routinely hang 140 pieces of iron a day with these techniques. They just completed a 58 floor building in 10 months without a second shift and it's being hailed all over as an engineering and building erecting moment. I see operators all over speaking about how it's terrible signalling. I would suggest that people consider the results. They are one of the top building erectors in the US. Maybe... just maybe there is something going on that you just haven't been exposed to yet? I was the operations manager for the company supplying the operators to the site. Each day the main operator needed a day off, I would send in guys with 20 years of experience and I would get a phone call within an hour requesting that I show up. Most guys have never seen, and never will see this kind of work or be able to keep up with it. Most operators are exposed to one style of work and expect that they know "the way". There are lots of ways. It's true of just about all trades. When you see something different, instead of disparaging them, maybe you step back and wonder if what they are doing could improve what you are doing. It would be arrogant to suggest that your way is the best possible way at anything.
The building they just completed. www.enr.com/articles/46207-erector-proves-speed-predictions-for-radical-steel-frame-of-seattles-rainier-square-tower
In NYC crane operators work 4 hour shifts and then switch. Both operators get paid for the full 8 hour day, also any OT is double time.
I like that! I'm out here in Hawaii and towers we normally run 10s easy and 12s frequently but working 4 and getting 8 would be sweet! hahaha
Damn I pray to work in New York
why not just have ground guy control till all clear?
The only way that could work is if the person using a remote from the ground were to hand off control as soon as it clears. I don't know of a system that works that way. It's not impossible, just impractical. It would add safety in terms of clearing. But it would cut production by probably 40%. Especially on a large crane with long booms. It would be a scenario where the remote operator comes up and stops all functions. Then the topside operator takes control and has to start the speeds again for the swing and the trolley. In most cases that stop, handoff, and restart would take the amount of time it takes to get to the location.
If you just have a team that is really good at working together, it can be done safely. The hard part is that in working through building the team and the standards, you can't have any mercy or niceties. These operations dance on the edge of safety due to how fast they run.
Doing it all from the ground at these speeds would not be possible on the large projects. I suspect that operators would injure themselves working from the working deck too. They would be concentrating on the crane and the trip and slip hazards on the steel working deck are simply absurd.
There is no "or" in construction
So what are you calling "boom up/down". It that what they call trolley in out.
I agree with you. Ironworkers aren't quickest at learning new tricks. They are a breed that learns the right way to do things, and they can't seem to forget that way. I prefer trolley in/out because if they short stroke the key and I miss the Boom or Hoist part of the signal, I can't get them what they need, unless I can see. On a lot of highrise work, you are just in the blind 80% of the way. "Trolley" doesn't have the ring of "boom". I think that's a factor too.
Gaytor Rasmussen I'm in Houston and your guys sound crystal clear compared to some of the Mexican accents we have here. I've been fired before when I refused to make a lift because I couldn't understand the flag man clearly.
maybe you can edit the title of this video.
sir i am Pakistani my name is Farooq baloch I am tower carne opreter sir plez help me I want to jop
Why do the radios sound like 100% shit?
the name of the guy was skip
Is this about the signalman? In this case, it was Owen. He and I went through the JIW apprenticeship at the same time.
@@rotyag yes it was, right on how long ago was that? i journeyed out back in 2018
@@dano9624 Owen and I were maybe 2000 or 2001? I swapped to the Operators while with NWTC. Currently about to cycle out of tower cranes entirely to build below the hook gear. I suspect that you'll start seeing it this next year. Looking for a shop now. Where you hanging iron?
@@rotyag did you ever work with Jason Anderson while at NWTC? I did a lil bit of everything never settled for one thing.
@@dano9624 Jason and I were at NWTC, Apex, and with General Construction on a Kimberly Clark project in Everett.
WORST SIGNALING EVER LAST TIME I REMEMBER A CHOCKER IS WHAT YOU USE PIC IRON,REBAR ETC.
EL GARI you are probably the worst signal man ever .
we do not use any signal commands like this... stop is stop cble up is cable up swing is swing... try rereading your OSHA manuals....lolol
We are governed by Washington State which is more strict than OSHA and C-DAC. Other states can't even get the regulations through that were written in 1997. I was on the committee that wrote them here and was one of two people that wrote the tests for the tower crane inspectors. OSHA is impotent and behind the times on this matter, to put it succinctly.
Here is the relevant WAC - 296-155-53406 Section 5
(5) Use and suitability.
(a) Prior to beginning operations, the operator, signal person, and lift director, must contact each other and agree on the voice signals that will be used. Once the voice signals are agreed upon, these employees need not meet again to discuss voice signals unless another employee is added or substituted, there is confusion about the voice signals, or a voice signal is to be changed.
(b) Each voice signal must contain the following 3 elements, given in the following order: Function (such as hoist, boom, etc.) and direction; distance and/or speed; function stop.
(c) The operator, signal person and lift director, must be able to effectively communicate in the language used.
OSHA also allows you to use any language you like. They only give the standard, then leave it open. Don't view OSHA as a limiting agency. They only give minimum standards. So are you working at the minimum standards, or at what is possible? In concrete when teamed up with good riggers, I'll make up to 17 picks an hour with these signals. If it's steel, 140 pieces a day is possible, and within the framework we are given by OSHA. If we were to follow OSHA's signal pattern, or NCCCO, we'd be lucky to hit half of the production.
Tom Vogt your signals are different than what we use try to understand these signals are way faster than what you are use too .