A day in the life of a mobile crane operator

Travelling, rigging and operating a Demag AC 60-3

[@petedavies4796]

Takes me back 14 years in the army operating a coles crane ,great job that things a bit more advanced to the one I had

[@aspidistraelatior3363]

Nice start-up and running noises.

[@cwuzii]

Good video mate, a lot of effort put in! Was the job Telford/shrewsbury way? I’m a hgv adr tanker driver, looking to move away from just driving and onto cranes. I’m guessing you used to be a driver too? How do you find cranes in comparison? Is the money generally decent? I’m likely to take a pay cut but I’m sick of driving trucks so I can live with it. Do you get many nights out? Are they hotel? Is there always someone there to rig the stuff up or is it sometimes you doing it? Sorry for so many questions haha. Cheers mate!

[@heavyhaulage1]

Sorry for the slow reply, yes this was in Shrewsbury I have always been a crane operator, never been just a HGV driver per say. The nights out situation depends on your company and what size crane you’re on. The company will always sort your digs for you 👍🏻 Have to be prepared to work long hours As for the rigging, up until about the 350 ton class, it’s one man to one crane. You as the operator , will drive to site, rig the crane, operate, derig and then drive back. If you need to put the fly job on you will tend to have an extra pair of hands sent out. Anything else you want to know, just ask. There’s a lot to tell/find out if you don’t really know much about the industry.

[@cwuzii]

@@heavyhaulage1 cheers for the reply mate. So the guy who was rigging your crane was sent out with you? But usually it would be you doing it? Are the digs usually a hotel/b&b or something else? What’s the average crane hourly wage do you know? I know it’ll vastly vary per company and area but is it similar to HGV? Cheers again mate

[@heavyhaulage1]

@@cwuzii no, the guy rigging the crane, was me. You drive, rig, operate, derig, drive back. Depends on the company. Most use premier inn / Travelodge / holiday inn etc etc. on long term jobs I’ve been in air B & Bs and also had static caravans before which has been sound. For this size machine 3 axle or so I’d day you’d be looking at the 15/16 an hour range. But lots of overtime / bonuses.

[@IbrahimMahmoudAl-MuhammadMoham]

Hello my friend, I wish you success. Good and skilled work. Can I find job opportunities?

[@mono5310]

How would I go about getting my licenses for one of these? I already drive trucks but a transition to mobile cranes would be nice! nice video btw

[@heavyhaulage1]

I would suggest visiting your local crane hire company. The industry is short of drivers and most companies are willing to train people up who already have their HGV. Cheers

[@mono5310]

@@heavyhaulage1 I shall have a gander cheers 😀

[@TristamMayes]

Great video mate

[@heavyhaulage1]

Thank you Tristam 👍🏻😊

[@jimwright5492]

Hi jack,brillant channel ,whats the heaviest pick youve done , cheers

[@heavyhaulage1]

Cheers Jim, 245 ton is my heaviest lift. Transformer out of a ship with LG 1550

[@jimwright5492]

@@heavyhaulage1 flip me that's a lump cheers

[@user-ho9ce9wh8f]

Классно

[@timmyingelbrecht6977]

Whats that clicking noise when turning the crane? About halfway in the video it starts

[@heavyhaulage1]

It’s gives you an idea of how fast the hoist is moving. Helps massively when you are working “blind”

[@timmyingelbrecht6977]

so it only sounds when your extending or retracting the hoist, that makes sense, you want to know how fast your lowering when you can't see it, so you can slow down in time i suppose.@@heavyhaulage1

[@ScOrPiOnE905]

The click happens in the joysticks to offer tactile and auditory feedback. I believe it's configurable but by default 1 click = ~1cm of cable down / up (for the cable). It's very useful as it allows you to convert communicated distances (ex: somebody tells you that the load is around 15cm from the ground, meaning you have to count around 15 clicks until you touch down) into a more easily understood input to the crane.

[@87espinoza87]

Today after talking to a crane operator at my job site is the first time I’ve considered doing this kinda job. If you don’t mind me asking what is a person liking to make their first year doing this. I know it will vary. But if you have a rough estimate of an average I’d really appreciate any input. They say it’s a plus that I have heavy equipment operator skills and a class A with all my endorsements does this make a difference in pay.

[@87espinoza87]

Also just realized that I don’t know if you’re based in the US😂😂

[@tacticalsurvivalistX]

For the U.S I would recommend your local IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers) hall ask about the apprenticeship program. Wages change drastically depending where you are located. It will also change based off of the size of the crane. Example in Seattle, WA a journeyman can expect wages anywhere from $56/hr-$61/hr. each local is different here my last apprentice 1st year made $120,000 gross with all the overtime we get. Hope this helps.

[@87espinoza87]

@@tacticalsurvivalistX thank you it does

[@SarwanSingh-dg9le]

Hello Sir

[@AshokGupta-jr9tm]

Hello Jack

[@heavyhaulage1]

Hello my friend