Hello new to this site and also Hiab work. Have been with manpower for about fourweeks now working for jewsons on hiabs. The first three weeks were okay no probe and built up my confidence. Today was a nightmare!!! Different Hiab lorry not hmf remote or standard manual. The crane had today had a bit of a dodgy set up. To operate the legs I had to press the slew lever on the crane to activate power to lower the legs and the crane moved unexpectedly while concentrating on the legs while stowing. No damage except being ■■■■■■ off with myself. Has anyone come across this sort of set up before. It was basically turn up and operate crane with no guidance. Not a good day. Any advice and guidance much appreciated.
I wotk full time for a builders merchants. Delivering everything from bricks+timber to bay windows and tiny pipe fittings.
Main thing to remember is NEVER RUSH. I cant stress that enough. If a customer is hurrying you up, set him straight because when it all goes ■■■■ up,he will look the other way.
Always look up before you do anything else. As soon as you get out the cab,have a good look about for POWER CABLES. If your too near and cant site your crane anywhere out the way…dont lift off.
GET THEM LEGS OUT…very important. Obviously this gives you stability when craning off. Get a pad put under your leg if on pavement or someones property as you can punch holes into pavements,especially on hot days. If legs are on road…i dont put a pad down. Check for drains and any other road hole covers.
Multidropping for builders merchants is alot more interesting than general multidropping. Most amout of drops i get on one load is about 6 and thats usually local. But then its back to base to load up again. You dont get the pressure that comes with general multi and most companies will understand that tipping a load takes longer with crane than using pallet truck.
Im only 23 and not been doing it for years but i love it. hope this is of some help.
peebro123:
Thanks for your replys so far.
Has anybody done any multi drop for builders merchants?
Not too concerned about using the crane, but would like to know if there are any tips or guidelines regarding the load placement.
Also I’ve used a brick grab for my test and a hook for my only job, what can I expect to use working for a builders merchant? Will I need to change attachments on the job etc?
I’ve just recently got back into HIAB on builders merchants after a 2yr absence, I’ve surprised myself on how much I remembered & how easy it was to pick up where I left off.
If it’s a builders merchants then hopefully your loader should be well practiced on where’s best to place things on the lorry. I’ve only ever had problems with places like Wickes, where the loaders are all children with zero common sense.
Every crane is different, never leave the yard till you know how to switch it on & what restrictions it has regarding sensors & trip switches etc. I like to hook up a bulk bag & have a 10min play.
In a general builders merchants you’ll only ever need to use the brick grab & slings. Don’t be afraid to get the slings out, some of those pallets will be knackered & NEVER grab a pack of bricks on the side that is banded, ask me how I learned that one
Robbie67:
Have been with manpower for about fourweeks now working for jewsons on hiabs. The crane had today had a bit of a dodgy set up. To operate the legs I had to press the slew lever on the crane to activate power to lower the legs and the crane moved unexpectedly while concentrating on the legs while stowing.
Robbie67
What crane was it?
If it’s a power on demand crane like Jewsons fleet of HIAB’s then there should usually be a seperate button on the control box to power up the legs.
If you ‘have’ to press a crane operating lever, to power up, to operate the legs, then that crane should not be leaving the yard !
Its difficult to give advice on here about using a hiab on builders merchant jobs because theres so much to learn but to add a couple of bits,
i always used pads on anything other than concrete. In time you’ll know what you can get away with, they teach you to always have both legs out or one out and one down but i only ever use to have one out. Dont lift any weight off the wheels, just have the leg so it only takes up the little gap where it comes out. You can grab most bags but be careful when grabbing 10mm stone, grip it right at the bottom and not to tight. You can get about 3 foot from green (un-coated) power lines if its not raining ok, probably could get closer but i wouldnt recommend it.
Hi all
I would like some feed back and advice on HIAB!
I am a Class 2 agency driver since passing my test on 20th May 08. I did my ADR in November & HIAB in December 08. I’ve used my ADR (packages) on many occasions, but only used my HIAB once when I was booked to pick some stones up from one place & drop them to a Major Chocolate factory (that’s all I was told anyway). My FIRST ever HIAB job, one week after doing my HIAB training ended up being for a stone mason who was sub contracting for a major construction company on a major contract at Cadbury’s in Birmingham. I had to place three stones high up in a wall, but those three stones cost the customer £5500. The stone mason was not very happy when I told him, but could not do anything about it.
The job went great though, apart from the 4 hours doing induction and waiting for all the health & Safety checks of everything under the sun.
I mention this, because it is getting close to when I anticipate doing some multi drop HIAB work & don’t want to be dropped in a situation out of my depth. I would appreciate any tips, advice or the experiences of others!
Thanks in advance.
I passed hiab then never touched one until I got my present job delivering storage containers,toilets etc. I got given the keys and job sheets and was left to get on with it .
All I can say to you is very slowly and very gently until you start to feel comfortable with your machine and learn its capabilities,cranes may all look the same but each one handles differently,even the same models.
Once your comfortable you’ll wonder what you worried about.
Simon
Also there is no universally required /accepted qualification for HIAB. If you work on construction sites the most common requirement is a CPCS card on the CITB scheme, there are others and I’m fairly sure that no certification is legally required only that you are competent at operating it. Some sites may ask, others may not.
At present I hold an internal certificate from a previous employer which is not really worth the paper it is written on but am currently going through the CPCS cardholder scheme.
If you are presented with a job and left to get on with it, the best thing you can do is suss out how to unfold and operate the crane before you get to the point of actually needing it. Park up round the corner, get the crane out, practise and put it away again. At least you’ll have some understanding of it.
Thanks for your replys so far.
Has anybody done any multi drop for builders merchants?
Not too concerned about using the crane, but would like to know if there are any tips or guidelines regarding the load placement.
Also I’ve used a brick grab for my test and a hook for my only job, what can I expect to use working for a builders merchant? Will I need to change attachments on the job etc?
We’ve just been given a generic risk assessment form for each lift we do,it gives a basic idea of what you should be looking at,I’ll try and get one scanned next week and email it to you if you want.
Simon
when I was doing agency work for manpower I had a fair few days of jewsons deliverys wasnt too bad,just watch out as some people think you can drop their stuff where they want it not where the wagon will actually fit and where the hiab will actually reach too
What crane was it?
.
