~Working Cranes~

~Oro Valley Arizona~

These two Truck Cranes are working
independently of each other.
The one on the right has a boom
length of 127 feet (39 meters).
The crane on the left is farther away
but it's reach is actually longer,
because it is equipped with a jib extension,
making the total reach 194 feet (59.1 m).
They are both steel cable strung.
And at the end of each cable
is a steel ball used to keep the cable
from swing when not carrying a load.
The steel ball weights 285-pound (129 kg).
These truck mounted cranes can lift
140,000 pounds (63,503 kg), or 70 tons.
A lot of fun watching them work together,
almost like a heavy equipment ballet.
I was a heavy equipment operator for 32 years.
Only ran cranes early on in my career.
Don't like them much, too much can go wrong.
They can tip over, drop loads,
break cable or blow hydraulic lines.
And then your screwed!!
Give me a good old bulldozer, skip loader,
power shovel or a road grader.
Keep me on the ground!!!

Thanks for looking.