Swapped my lattice boom for a hydraulic one on a 90 ton job in Tulsa

The lattice was a pain to rig and tear down every time, but I worried the hydraulic would feel less stable on a tight pick. After 3 days of working it, I'm glad I made the switch, the setup time alone is worth it. Anyone else make a similar move and have tips for adjusting to the different feel?

1 comments

1 Comment

mark_carr722d ago

Read an article in CraneWorks a few months back about guys running the numbers on setup time vs pick feel. They found most operators give up maybe 5% on stability for a huge gain in speed. I used to run a 100 ton with a lattice and the switch felt weird at first, thought I was gonna get more whip on the hook. But after you get a few hours in, you trust the hydraulics more. The trick for me was to slow down the swing speed on the first couple lifts, let the boom settle before you start moving. That little bit of extra patience made all the difference on those tight picks.