Dipper_Dave:
Probably a few generations of cranes after the ones I used but this sounds ideal, in the old days it was pull the PTO and away you go, hell we where lucky if some drivers bothered to extend the legs let alone do both sides (course I always did).
No two cranes are the same, after working on agency for a few years I have come to know this well.
I’m currently working for a BM that insists on EVERY available safety feature, which can really muck up your day when you discover a new one.
I’m gobsmacked that you can put a lorry loader crane equipped vehicle on the road today & still be able to drive off blissfully unaware that you left the legs out.
Chas:
I’m gobsmacked that you can put a lorry loader crane equipped vehicle on the road today & still be able to drive off blissfully unaware that you left the legs out.
Now that is shocking, we had a few drivers not put the pin in and the leg slid out, I was lucky in that i used to check it everyday with an Atlas crane, think the Pesci and Palfinger ones I used where hydraulic but still checked the valve was close through force of habit.
Loved the Pesci though it had a manual jib extension which albeit a pain in the arse kept me fit.
Yep I have driven off a few times and forgot the left leg .
Don’t forget that its the rear wheels that hold it on a hill so if your crane is on the rear don’t lift the back end to high that the weight comes off the wheels & suspension or you will be going down hill with lorry & load , ive seen it happen …
8wheels:
My 59 plate with matching age crane has no warnings attached to the legs. You could drive off with them sticking fully out on both sides about 2m.
Although you tend to notice it in the mirrors
When I use to have one out and one down was always really careful that I checked and double checked to make sure that it wasn’t still down before driving off!
Retired Old ■■■■:
Unfortunately, I do:
The “legs” you refer to are “stabilisers” and are not designed to take the weight of the vehicle plus it’s load. They should be extended only enough that the weight just begins to lift off the road springs. Any attempt to level, or indeed, lift the vehicle will put excess strain on the legs, arms and hydraulic system.
But then, you would have known that if you had successfully passed a proper Lorry-mounted Loader course. Let’s hope that you learn this lesson before you kill yourself or anyone else.
P.S. If you just wreck the vehicle, it won’t matter to anybody except your employer!
Harsh . . . but true. My current cranes legs are fitted with sensors that cut out when they’ve landed on firm ground, you cannot use the legs to ‘level’ the vehicle.
It’s also fitted with a tilt alarm, it won’t you let me power the thing up unless it’s within a few degrees of level on both axis.
These are safety features !
I’ve done my course 5x & I’ve never heard the park it uphill or downhill argument. The crane is designed to be used on stable, level ground & you are encouraged to use it as such at all times.
I had in house training with the builders merchant I worked for and we were taught the right way to use cranes on slopes.
As for the legs taking the weight of the lorry I only ever use to have them down enough so it took the slack out of the bit the legs comes out from the crane meaning the bottom of the leg would only just touch the floor… When off loading downhill I use to turn the wheels into the kerb and lower the suspension to level the bed abit.
the whole uphill /downhill part i ve always taught folks doing their hiab ticket is only tip on hills as a last resort as they are really only meant to be used on flat solid ground , as its more to do with the loads imposed on the crane and the effect they have on the load uphill, it will decrease the load radius, and down hill it increases the load radius as the load will swing further out .
the amount of times ive seen drivers use the legs to lift the wagon up so they are at full stretch is unreal, and thats when they have been doing their test
ive always set the legs after dropping the air suspension to its lowest setting, and then so that they are down to the pads at first then up another 2 inches after that,
8wheels:
My 59 plate with matching age crane has no warnings attached to the legs. You could drive off with them sticking fully out on both sides about 2m.
Although you tend to notice it in the mirrors
When I use to have one out and one down was always really careful that I checked and double checked to make sure that it wasn’t still down before driving off!
Because mine is not fitted with a grab it always gets folded up and put away, I usually operate and offload to the drivers side and work to a routine when packing up.
Jib in, fold crane and slew round to align markers for stowed position, raise leg and retract, put pad away. The n walk round to nearside and put nearside leg and pad away, then finally drop cane finally couple of feet so I can make sure nothing gets caught up.
I’ve got routines for loading and unloading plant too, makes things quicker and less likely to forget something important.
Cant find the video, but has been posted before. Rear truck mounted crane was picking up the water filled barrier and slewed in in front of truck. Weight in front, rear wheels off floor and truck rolled off down the hill.
The schoolmaster returns-
It always pays to remember that the crane isn’t part of the vehicle’s chassis, it’s only clamped to the chassis by a few nuts & bolts. Imagine you have lifted the plot in order to level the vehicle: you then have the weight of the vehicle plus it’s load, plus the effect of swinging a ton of sh*t around in mid-air, all depending on these bolts. I wouldn’t.
I was once told by an irate manager that I don’t need the leg extended just to pick up a ton bag of gravel at full reach , , I didn’t do a drop as was in a narrow space so couldn’t extend leg to full boom load down a bank & over a river … his words were " the *ing lorry weighs 10 ton , a *ing bag won’t pull it over " … I politely told him to do it seen as his lack of hgv licence & hiab ticket far exceed my ten years or so of doing the job …
Used to move a lot of 20 foot containers site to site and on arrival was reliably infomed that the container only had a ‘little bit of stuff’ in which invariably turned out to a various array of air driven power tool’s, compressor, cement mixer , bags of cement and various other construction paraphernalia.
Explaining to the customer I could not lift it at that reach and the container would have to be emptied a bit then lead to arguments of, getting closer and not having the leg out as much followed by me trying to explain how this was not good practice.
In the end I just used to tell them the crane wouldn’t lift anything unless both legs where right out and I asked it nicely.
Had one once when I was told theres nothing in it only to open the doors and find a Peugeot pick up.
I’m always getting told, it’s empty or there’s only light stuff in it. We take container moves only on the understanding that they are empty as that’s almost the capacity of the crane at full radius.
Some of them nearly snap the crane in half as there is so much “light” stuff in them.
I always reply that a tonne of light stuff still weighs a tonne.
