local crane company breaks cable

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That line was all cut at the same spot it seems. Looks like it was cut not simply parted.

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Agreed like it rubbed on the head of the crane,
 
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I've worked with that crane company 4 times and this does not surprise me..

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Thats not good!
 
Wow.... just yesterday, before seeing this vid today, I called my suppliers and ordered new RR wire rope for my winch, 325' of 9/16". I feel better about the bill now, $700.00. I sold the old one to a farmer for 100.00 BTW. The stuff is cheap for how many hours I get out of a length, several thousand usually.

It sure had all the classic signs of a two block situation, hard to tell for sure from the vid but that'd be my guess.

Just like in aircraft situations, whenever wire rope of any size breaks, there is almost ALWAYS something else going on, like two blocking, or in aircraft the wrong tool used for the swedging, a major design mistake, or some other obvious screwup. Being heavily involved in home built airplane flying for 40 years, I see many similarities between flying and craning, I trust wire rope and other's lives to wire rope about every day, and in a weird way I hate to see it take the blame for it being improperly used! No freaking way the winch line "just broke", something else was going on. I replace mine often not because I don't trust it anymore, but because it's cheap and like any important tool I take care of it and it takes care of me. The same reason I just replaced the planes rudder pedal cables last week!
 
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It looked like it was definitely close to 2 blocking if it wasn't.
Im pretty sure from what I see in the video the anti-2block was over ridden.

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Can someone give me a simple explanation of what 2 blocking means? Assume I know nothing about the hardware and cable setup at the end of the crane.
 
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It looked like it was definitely close to 2 blocking if it wasn't.
Im pretty sure from what I see in the video the anti-2block was over ridden.

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Can someone give me a simple explanation of what 2 blocking means? Assume I know nothing about the hardware and cable setup at the end of the crane.

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I took this from a web page.
Two-blocking is the dangerous condition where the main hook or block is raised until it contacts any part of the boom tip hardware. The term comes from block and tackle terminology, describing when the blocks (or pulleys), upper and lower, come into contact with each other.
 
And, besides possibly buggering up the tip sheaves and the boom tip, it can unlock the becket, which is like a chinese finger trap thing usually, the harder you pull the tighter it clamps. When two blocked the becket can be loosened. Really, all kinds of bad things can happen. We have a local guy here who lost an arm at the cement plant years ago, in a bucket truck below a crane working that two blocked, the falling headache ball damn near killed him and took his arm. There are enough things to go wrong, two blocking is at least, or should be with the right equipment and not by-passing that equipment, easily avoidable.
 
Yes, it's basically when the crane operator either winches up or telescopes the boom out to the point that the headache ball which the hook is attached to runs into the end of the boom. There is a weight that is around the cable that hangs a couple feet below the end of the boom. This weight is connected to a switch. When the headache ball contacts this weight it sounds an alarm and cuts hydraulics to winch up, telescope out and boom down. This should prevent two blocking. The operator can override the hydraulic cut off feature making two blocking possible in the event of operator error. Or of course if the system is not working properly.
 
Disableing the atb must be possible to stow the boom for travel. It is all too easy, and tempting to push that button when you need a couple feet to clear an obsticle. I am still working on my guy to get the story.

You cant burn the entire company down for one dumb op... I know I have an understanding with my guy, if I cant get him or one other guy, I dont get a crane. Some of these guys are great at steel, truss, and HVAC... But cant cut it when in the trees.
 
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takes a special understanding of the activity to make a good tree crane op.

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I could not agree with you more. The best tree crane op is one that has climbed and done it for a while. One that can know what the climber is looking for, what their next move is and anticipate that move before anything is said (not saying making that move, but knowing that it is coming).

I spoke with the owner last night. It was surprizing to hear that this accident happened 2.5 years ago (it is not recent, it just happens the video just made it out). He explained that the biggest mistake that day was not 2blocking the crane, it was the fact that the op did not walk away from the job. There was a malady of errors, from a crap company (not in business anymore) that set up the failures in communications and set the tone of the job to a "get it done" rushing mode. Everyone was rushing, making bad calls. As can you can tell from the video the company was not all that safety oriented, and decisions and actions ealier in the day caused the tension.

Lessons learned: No matter how bad your job is going, take a breath, relax, refocus, rethink and above all be safe. Just remember if you dont, things can go from bad to MUCH MUCH worse in a second. Its not worth someones life!

Be safe out there.
 
So, at the end of the day it was finally 2 blocking? Like any accident there are usually many dominoes that fall prior to the final one that becomes the failure.

A good tree removal crane operator is difficult to find. Many are former climbers but I've worked with a couple that weren't but understood the dynamic loads they were working with and how to communicate and work with the climber.
 
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I spoke with the owner last night. He explained that the biggest mistake that day was not 2blocking the crane, it was the fact that the op did not walk away from the job. There was a malady of errors, from a crap company (not in business anymore) that set up the failures in communications and set the tone of the job to a "get it done" rushing mode. Everyone was rushing, making bad calls. As can you can tell from the video the company was not all that safety oriented, and decisions and actions ealier in the day caused the tension.

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Do you really believe that?????
blaming the customer? That'd be like saying the reason I screwed up a tree job is becasue the customer talked me down on the price so I had to rush, so even though I was the one with the chainsaw, it was really the customer's fault.

I don't know much about cranes, but this is clearly a case of operator error... Its his crane... [ QUOTE ]
Why was the crane opp reving the crane so much, The moment before the line breaks you can hear the crane straining. Looks like he two blocked it and powered through till the cable broke.

[/ QUOTE ] that seems to be the consensus..... How do yo blame that on the tree co.?

In my limited experience with Bauman, I've seen them make some serious mistakes.. My contract climber, an old member here, Big Jon, was late to a job once, so I went up, probably my second or third time working with a crane, so I was just doing what I was told.. First cut hung on to the tree while the op rolled the tips right into the primaries.. By that time Big Jon had arrived and I saw him wince as I finished the cut. When I asked why he winced, he said, you could have gotten fried... Even though I made a bad cut, knowing that I was a rookie, the op should have had another plan.

Next (and last) time out, they sent the new owner... he set Jon up to set the strap on a big lead out over the street and wires, but didn't like a 6" dead oak limb on the piece... Op wanted to talk about it, but Jon wasn't in the mood and just started cutting... Op got all pissy and started wrapping up the crane in the middle of a $4,000 removal. Jon was right IMO... the op set up the strap, cut had to made below the dead limb.... then he wants to talk about it.... Nothing to talk about.. AND 6" dead oak isn't going anywhere...

So now Bauman refuses to work with Jon, who at the time had done over 300 crane removals.... and in order to finish the work, the rookie (me) has to finish the day... Again, I just set the strap, and make the cut where I AM told... Last tree of the day, long reach into the backyard, big maple top rolls, scared me good. Later Jon told me the outriggers came up about 18"...

SO NEVER AGAIN.... now its Pete or Matt. Both have the experience and are extremely safe. And I might give Mario a try... He got a new crane..
 
if you watch again closely, its clear that the op sucked all the cable up.. the ball in the early footage has some headroom.. but not when he swings the piece.
Apparently. Bauman had rented the crane out without an op, so you can't blame him...
 
Actually on that oak I set the chokers started making a cut when he beeped his horn, I shut the saw off and he started talking [pick a different word] about me going above where I had already cut halfway and cut the top smaller.. F$&k that, I told him if he wanted to talk that stupid sh&t I'll come down and punch him in the mouth, then I finished my back cut and he picked it up safely, nothing fell apart it was perfect. That man was trembling and shaking all day... WTF? Either he was scared or needed a drink neithe my problem.
 
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Do you really believe that?????

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Yes I do... In doing tree work, a bad attitude, bad decision, close call or anything from one person on a crew can throw the entire crew off their game. Sometimes it does not take much. If you dont see that then you may need to get your eyes checked.
And just for the record, in no way did I say the tree co was at fault, or the op was at fault. Again poor dicisions = poor outcomes. But the blame for this should not be all put on the op. I can think of several things the climber could have done to avoid this failure (#1 Better rigging plan and not putting the op in that situation where he needed to override the ATB).

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I don't know much about cranes, but this is clearly a case of operator error... Its his crane... [ QUOTE ]
Why was the crane opp reving the crane so much, The moment before the line breaks you can hear the crane straining. Looks like he two blocked it and powered through till the cable broke.

[/ QUOTE ] that seems to be the consensus..... How do yo blame that on the tree co.?

SO NEVER AGAIN.... now its Pete or Matt. Both have the experience and are extremely safe. And I might give Mario a try... He got a new crane..

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Your first 6 words says it all... If you dont know much about them why are you all of a sudden an expert at it, and point fingers.
Crane work is a team (crew) effort, including but not limited to the climber, op and ground crew. When something goes wrong, everyone has a part in the failure. ALL EYES should be paying attention and when something doesnt make sense... SPEAK UP. Put the F'n camera down and do your job. Its tough to see whats going on through that little screen.
 
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