When operators hear the term lift plan, some may roll their eyes while others just start working to get it done, so what’s the big deal about them anyway?  While Lift Planning can be a complex task, a standard lift plan should not be daunting.

At Crane Tech we teach that even the most standard lift needs a simple, documented lift plan to make sure the lift happens safely and within the limits of the equipment and personnel. Why? Because the adage, “failing to plan, is planning to fail,” holds true in material handling operations. If you have a documented lift plan that has been shared with the crew it’s almost like having an insurance policy that the lift will go smoothly. (more…)

Recently we were at a client’s location, demonstrating how to perform a pre-use inspection and noticed an outrigger box and pin had received repairs. The instructor asked the class if “anyone knew what had happened?” Several of the students were part of the maintenance crew that had been involved, spoke up.

The Back Story

Some repair work needed to be done on the hydraulic cylinder of the outrigger which required that particular pin to be removed.  When trying to remove the pin, it was stuck. So the crew decided to use heat with a blow torch to loosen it, remove it and make the repair to the cylinder.  A new pin and snap ring were installed and they were good to go. End of story, right? Wrong. (more…)

As we celebrate Thanksgiving we have so many things to be grateful for, including our wonderful clients. Thank you for your business and trust in providing education and services to ensure your material handling operations remain safe.

As a way of showing our appreciation, receive 20% off  Scheduled Training programs, including Train-the-Trainer programs!

Register using the “Sign Up Now” links on the course pages or call 1-800-521-7669.

Fine Print: Payment must be received by 5 p.m. EST Dec 2, 2016 to qualify for special pricing. Offer cannot be combined with other special pricing offers and is not valid on NCCCO Prep Courses or Professional Operator Development.

Eric Perreault, is a student in Crane Tech’s Professional Operator Development program and a candidate for Crane Hot Line’s Top Trainer Scholarship. During the week of hands-on training, we caught up with the Eric to gain a better understanding of why he wanted to become a crane operator and get his feedback on training so far.

(Video may require Chrome or Safari to play properly.)

If you don’t have the ability to watch a YouTube Video, or just want to read it for yourself, here’s what Eric had to say:

Why did you come to Crane Tech?

I came to Crane Tech because as I want to advance my life a little bit. I want to get somewhere with the higher cap than I am right now.  I love big machinery. I wanted to get started with the biggest machinery and Crane Tech seemed like a great place to do that. (more…)

Most times when we think of an accident involving a crane tipping, we suppose that it was due to a heavy load being too much for the crane to lift.  However, tipping accidents can happen in a multitude of ways.

In the case of this accident, the crane was only lifting a small electric motor (lower left picture), probably only a couple hundred pounds. However, the outriggers were not set and the crane tipped either due to the length of the boom or the boom angle being too low. (more…)