"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote in message
...
A repeat of the link in case someone lost it:
http://monkeyup.my-bulldog.com/pages...com/Ooops.html


First, let me say that I ran a 30 ton crane on an oilfield drilling platform
in the Gulf of Mexico for three years. I have also run Grove cranes and P&H
cranes up to 12.5 tons on land. I am Offshore Petroleum Institute certified
as a rigger, and have had a lot of rigging experience.

What happened here is gross stupidity on the part of the operator, and not a
lot on the part of the rigger. Except if the operator was the rigger. The
thing should have been rigged with the strap to the rear of the window.

I see two things. One, the crane used to pick up the original car is
undersized. It looks like the hoist is one intended to hoist industrial
size tires. Second, he is extended out too far, and the leverage is there
to overturn the vehicle. Also, the stabilizers out all the way, but the
load exceeds the limit of the boom angle. I would bet a weeks pay that if
you looked at the load chart, the weight of the load and the distance out to
the load would have exceeded the limitations of the lift truck.

In frame one, it is obvious to see that the car is outside the lifting
radius of the crane, that is the lifting point is not at least directly
above the car. Side loading a crane is a NO NO (caps intentional) to any
experienced crane operator. (It's done all the time in the real world, but
not to this degree.) The car must be first drug to the crane. I also agree
with the other fellow's observation that the lifting sling probably shifted
back. This is another MISTAKE on the part of the rigger or operator.

In frame two, the truck lists a good ways towards the load. That would have
been the time to set it down, and go get a bigger truck.

Also, notice the yellow box in front of the crane. Where was the operator
going to land the car? The box looks like it is in the way to me, and he
can't swing it rearward because there is not enough boom. I also wonder if
any of those stupid assed people standing next to the truck were smashed by
the truck or knocked in the water. When something like that is going on,
the best place to watch from is a place of safety, and there are obviously
MANY unsafe stupid people in the picture.

Now, here comes the green truck with adequate lifting ability and longer
stabilizers. And the people get the hell out of the way. It plucks it
right out of the water, and hardly twists. You will notice that he does not
need to set up right at the edge of the quay because he has adequate boom
length, stabilization, and lifting capacity.

If you will notice the next to last frame and last frame, they will show you
how flimsy a truck was used in the first lift. Very little in the way of
frame, counterweight, or stabilizers. A tiny, tiny boom.

This was either an inexperienced operator or rigger, or operator/rigger.
And you see what happened. I wonder what the cost difference was between
the way they ended up doing it, and just getting the right truck in the
first place. Probably a few bucks.

Steve