r/cranes

How's the job market for trades in upstate look? are government projects happening? especially interested in union jobs i.e cranes and heavy equipment

I engineer heavy lifting equipment for a living, and I see contractors blowing their budget on the wrong rig all the time. They usually just look at the max capacity sticker on the boom and call it a day.

If you're sizing a new crane for your truck chassis this year, here’s what you actually need to check so you don't ruin your payload or burn up your hydraulics:

1. Buying for capacity instead of space. Don't buy a massive telescopic (straight) boom if you work in tight urban alleys. Knuckle booms fold up and let you navigate around obstacles. Telescopic is strictly for open spaces and deep linear drops.

2. Using heavy, cheap steel. If the boom uses standard steel, you're carrying massive deadweight. That eats directly into your truck's legal cargo payload on the flatbed. Make sure they use high-strength steel. It keeps the crane light so you can actually haul material, not just the crane itself.

3. The hydraulic pump trap. Cheap cranes use standard tandem gear pumps. To get decent pressure, you have to rev the truck engine high—burning diesel and creating crazy heat. A dual pump setup gives you high pressure even at engine idle, and your boom movements won't jerk around.

4. OSHA compliance (for the US guys). Don't forget OSHA 1926 Subpart CC. Anything lifting over 2,000 lbs requires a certified operator now. I've seen guys buy a 20-ton rig and then realize it has to sit in the yard because their crew isn't ticketed.

5. Forgetting attachments. A straight boom gives you a winch and a hook, and sometimes you can assembly a basket on it. But a a knuckle boom can take augers, grapples, and more attachments. Think about what jobs you might bid on next year, not just what you need today.

What kind of rigs are you guys running right now? Curious what components break down most often on your older trucks.

Journeyman here just made the switch from the dirt side to cranes. Got my first job as an oiler back in March. I've been looking for some good long lasting work pants or coveralls. On the dirt side as an operator I never had to do much of my own greasing and what not because we had an oiler come out every morning to fuel and grease all the equipment before we started. I want to get other oilers opinions on work pants. Since I am the one doing that now my pants are covered in oil and grease all day pretty much from the minute I start work. My work does not provide coveralls or anything along those lines. Just want to know what works best for you. I am up and down the crane all day, something that would protect the knees.

Best regards,
Local 701 Brother.

I get my diploma in 2 months, and off of a recommendation from my dad (an ironworker for 30+ years), I was planning on signing up for my local union to be a crane apprentice. He said he knew tons of crane operators and that he would try to get me hired eventually working in Birmingham and Calera, which is where I live, but I was wondering if I would make better money eventually traveling out of state or would it be a better idea just to work where I live. From my understanding, I would start out going out with an operator and crane and help put outrigger pads and set up the crane and stuff, but do I need my CDL class 1, or can I eventually get it while I’m already working as an oiler/rigger?

I live in Alabama

Hello guys. I have a small lifting and transportation company operating in north italy. We wanted to start exploring higher lifting capacity bc so far the biggest, if we can cal it biggest, crane we have is a truck crane with effer 955 8s and jib 6s. What do you think about Sany SAC700e or SAC1200. We want to start with lowest possibility investment bc we need to test the market response. We focus on construction sites and industrial.

Hope to get many feedbacks!

Matteo

I see they are hiring.