I used to think load indicators were just extra stuff to break...

Been running a Liebherr LTM 1050 for about 8 years now. Always figured I could feel the load well enough without relying on the indicator. Last month we were lifting a 12,000 lb HVAC unit for a rooftop job in Phoenix. The indicator started beeping at 85% capacity but I knew it was fine. Foreman made me stop and check the radius - I was 4 feet further out than I thought because of the way the truck was positioned. That beep saved me from a nasty tip situation. Anyone else had their load indicator catch something they missed?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark4367d ago

Nah, you're missing the point a bit. Load indicators aren't about feeling the load, they're about catching the stuff you CAN'T feel. Like the radius issue I mentioned. You can't FEEL a 4 foot radius change when you're in the cab. That's math, not gut feeling. I've done hundreds of lifts without indicators on older machines and came out fine, but that's luck and habit, not skill. The indicator didn't save my career, it saved me from a mistake that would've cost serious money and maybe someone's leg. And yeah, it is a reminder to check ground positioning, but that reminder only comes when the numbers are wrong. Your argument basically says seatbelts are useless because you drove fine without one for years.

robin5916d ago

Exactly. Mark's dead on with that "can't FEEL a 4 foot radius change" thing. @simonp76 I get what you're saying but I had a buddy who ran a 100 ton crawler for years without a load indicator and he was fine until one day he wasn't. He misjudged a swing radius by like 3 feet on a pick he'd done a hundred times and damn near rolled the machine. No warning lights, no beeps, just a bad day. The indicator is the difference between "I think it's fine" and "I know it's fine." I run a 50 ton now with a good LMI and yeah sometimes it beeps at you for dumb stuff like a sloppy outrigger setup but I'd rather have that nanny than try to math out every lift in my head.

simonp767d ago

...except you're basically saying a beep and a light saved your career. How many lifts have you done without any indicator at all and came out fine? Seems more like a good reminder to double check your ground positioning rather than proof that load indicators are some kind of lifesaver.