Real masters on equipment

[ctfjr]

Today I had the opportunity to go to a local scrap yard to 'rescue' 3 I beams I plan on using for my new tower guys. They are each a hair under 12' long and 12" high, about 400lbs each.

The crane operator just had me fixated on what he did. So much so that I didn't think to take any pix there. Just before he picked through a pile of beams to get the 3 I wanted, he used his claw to pick up a 55 gallon drum and move it to the other side of the yard. Like moving the proverbial egg, not a dent not a bang, just silky smooth. Then he picked up a piece of chain link fence and proceeded to 'brush' the yard of pieces of metal that the previous customer dropped.

Finally he grabbed each beam I wanted and carefully laid them all next to our truck for my inspection. Once I signaled him ok he picked each up and gently put them on the 4x4's in the truck bed. Again just silky smooth.

Once home they were taken off with the tractor forks and placed in a temporary area until I dig their holes.

This guy was a super pro!

 

[Garvini]

That’s awesome…it’s mostly just time at the controls…I have my hoisting engineer license in Massachusetts but I wouldn’t claim to be a proficient operator of any one particular machine simply because of time at the controls

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Nice find on the beams.

Sometimes I am glad that I do not have the room to store "gems" like that.

If it wasn't for my wife, my place would look like this...

What kind of towers are we talking about?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

maybe deer towers ??

friend's son started sticking when 7 or 8(also black belt Canada, USA and Japan,at same test)....goes to Vegas for the heavy equipment/ Construction show, sees the '6 beer bottle cap' competition. idea is to knock off all 6 caps without spilling a drop..no one had even come close....he's a bit of a 'smartazz' but talented. says 'how hard can this be ?',gets behind controls, tests them a bit (jerky..woaa...) then proceeds to remove all 6 at once

it's all about 'stick time'

 

[torch]

Finally he grabbed each beam I wanted and carefully laid them all next to our truck for my inspection. Once I signaled him ok he picked each up and gently put them on the 4x4's in the truck bed. Again just silky smooth.

I once saw a crane operator gently tap someone's hard hat with the hook to get their attention. It would have given the safety inspector a heart attack. There's no way I could ever be that smooth and precise no matter how much practice I had, but this guy was that good.

 

[lugbolt]

yup stick time. The more you do it the better you get. Have done some of it myself, although not nearly enough to be that smooth. It also helps that the controls on most excavators and construction equipment are MUCH smoother than on most tractors, especially kubota tractors, they use a different style hydraulic system. Kubota construction equipment is also a lot smoother than the tractor's are.

 

[ctfjr]

Nice find on the beams.

' ' '
What kind of towers are we talking about?

They are for my amateur radio tower to be. It's guyed with 3 guy wires. Instead of bringing them to an anchor at ground level, I am going to dig a 4-5' hole and plant these beams. The guys will then be attached at the top. So the lowest point will be 7-8'.

The advantage is the guy wires will be high enough so they are out of harms way for the tractor and anything else that wanders by.

 

[Henro]

Off topic question I am sure...

I kind of figured that ham radio would be a thing of the past with the internet so widely spread around the world today.

Even thought there might be an internet equivalent to what HAM radio used to be 40 or 50 years ago...showing my age I guess.

Who uses HAM radio now? Really just curiosity asking...

I will never be a HAM operator for sure. Do have a FCC general radiotelephone license though...or think I do...it went lifetime at some point in the past. Used to be called a FCC First Class license with radar endorsement in my case...

 

[armylifer]

I know several HAMs including my whole family. We got our HAM licenses many years ago and still keep them current. Many of our church members are HAMs also. We run a voice net and check in often.

 

[Henro]

I know several HAMs including my whole family. We got our HAM licenses many years ago and still keep them current. Many of our church members are HAMs also. We run a voice net and check in often.

Does that mean it is just like texting today with multiple participants?

Just wondering...to each his own and all that...just seems like texting or internet forums are much simpler and may be cheaper if we have them anyway.

I think the "if we have them anyway" is probably very relevant.

Not trying to sidetrack this thread...just my curiosity sometimes takes control...

 

[armylifer]

Does that mean it is just like texting today with multiple participants?

Just wondering...to each his own and all that...just seems like texting or internet forums are much simpler and may be cheaper if we have them anyway.

I think the "if we have them anyway" is probably very relevant.

Not trying to sidetrack this thread...just my curiosity sometimes takes control...

Where HAM is most useful is in case other comms go down such as in a natural disaster. There are other doomsday scenarios that it could be useful for but I'll leave that for others to comment on.

 

[skeets]

Yes Sir when things go sideways,, hams got ya covered,,, Is the M.A.R.S. still in service, yeah Im showing my age too

 

[armylifer]

Yes Sir when things go sideways,, hams got ya covered,,, Is the M.A.R.S. still in service, yeah Im showing my age too

Apparently the Army and Air Force still have the MARS going. The USMC stopped it in 2015 Here is a link for more info.

Military Auxiliary Radio System - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I ran a MARS station out of Camp Humphreys, Korea while I was waiting for reassignment after the first gulf war ended. I would often use the Hawaii relay to the states and off net at Fort Lewis back in them days. Sometimes I would have to skip to Ft Devens, MA and off net from there.

 

[ctfjr]

Off topic question I am sure...

I kind of figured that ham radio would be a thing of the past with the internet so widely spread around the world today.

Even thought there might be an internet equivalent to what HAM radio used to be 40 or 50 years ago...showing my age I guess.

Who uses HAM radio now? Really just curiosity asking...

I will never be a HAM operator for sure. Do have a FCC general radiotelephone license though...or think I do...it went lifetime at some point in the past. Used to be called a FCC First Class license with radar endorsement in my case...

Fair question. The licensing requirements have been eased quite a bit. Morse code proficiency is no longer required.

That said there are now far more hams in the US than at any other time - by a lot.

Things have certainly changed Digital communications is a big thing now. We have several amateur radio satellites in operation. Computer/radio interfacing is the norm. As always there are a lot of experimenters out there as well as people that just enjoy the hobby for its communications variants. There are tons of 'contests', Some still enjoy using Morse (me) and improving their skills, there is ragchewing where one can contact another ham anywhere in the world and just talk about, well, anything.

I learned about the Scottish separatist movement from a ham. A ham in South Africa taught me a lot about diamond mining. When traveling in other countries I have met other hams who were more than gracious to us. Its still a fraternity of sorts.

I've been a ham for 63 years now and still get that rush from learning something new in the hobby.

To Skeets question - yes MARS is still a thing:

MARS has a long history of providing worldwide auxiliary emergency communications during times of need. The combined two-service MARS programs (Army, and Air Force), volunteer force of over 3,000 dedicated and skilled amateur radio operators provide the backbone of the MARS program. The main benefit of MARS membership is enjoying the amateur radio hobby through an ever-expanding horizon of MARS service to the nation. MARS members work by the slogans "Proudly Serving Those Who Serve" and "Proud, Professional, and Ready."