Just a simple question. I have to take the Insley K12 crawler down a fifteen to twenty degree sloping driveway. What is the best procedure for doing that to minimize the risk of tipover? Should I go counterweight first or boom first?
I was about to say boom first as you can adjust your boom angle to get it nicely balanced. But as I typed this I can also imagine that travelling counterweight downhill could work just as well. A crawler crane should have travelling info and boom angle positions listed on the load chart to balance the crane.
Actualy, i just saw a picture of it. Unless you can lock the house I would go down backwards. There could be a good chance the slew brake could fail and the house could rotate uncontrollably.
This crane predates the issuance of useful info. such as you mention! I can chain the house to the undercarriage so it doesn't slew. I think I would feel better going down boom first with the boom at a low angle and the house chained in position. I am sure I'll do fine with it. Can't be too careful with old equipment though!
All I have ever seen is counterweight 1st for the stated reasons we have also hooked a 977 or larger to help keep things under control. The only thing I have heard is don't take it out of travel on the slope. It may run away. We had a goof with an older 599. Let the lever go and hit neutral or center and WOW that thing was fast , Forgot to set the travel dogs before he turned loose of the lever. Never heard a set of tracks sounds like that.Ran down the slope to a flat spot and stopped short of running out in live traffic. Think 4 inches of foam was missing from the seat when it was all over
Hi Rick.I would head down the hill boom first with the boom just inches off the ground.The K-12 has a pretty good house lock.I always like to keep the counter wieght on the up hill side with a empty boom.What are you setting Rick? Got the short boom on the Insley?
I've seen two crawlers tip over backwards coming off a truck counterweight first but in both instances when the machine started to tip the operator panicked and tried go opposite on the travel. These machines only had the butt and tip for boom. I felt that if the operator who was the truck driver in both cases would have just kept the travel dogged in they wouldn't have had a problem. Hearing that on this thread confirms my thought process.
I have to pour a concrete wall in the front of our building and I won't be able to chute it from the truck, so I'll need the crane and bucket. The land in front of the building is about three feet lower than the other three sides.
Counterweight UP the hill. That was one of the first things I learned in "punk school," 30+ years ago.
Boom first, counterweight uphill.....And leave your hoist brake on and engage your hoist in "up" to help slow down your "clutch works" like a jake brake or retarder