I start my apprenticeship on Monday, & want to go equipped for success. So here is some uber basic kinda laughable questions: 1. What kinda boots y'all use? (steeltoe, 6 or 8 inch, get some trow aways cause they will get beat, or worth it to pop for another set of Wesco's (what I have now $275 worth, but are about 6 monts passes needed to be replaced) 2. What kinda gloves y'all use? leather linesman...do you wear em while operating? 3. What keys to get, or am I expected to have? 4. What is an oiler? 5. looks like they will let me into the crane coarses, anything special I should show up with, crane specific. Any other commonly overlooked items a newbie usualy shows up without. Thanks for your patience...and smartass answers are expected :notworthy
1,,,,,,any work boot with steel toe caps 2,,,,,I never used to wear gloves when operating the machine.Ordinary rubber/plastic gloves for refuelling/greasing 3.....you only need your own keys, they provide keys for each machine , ,5,,,,,,,,,,,crane guys need sunglasses and a good book 4,,,in the UK an oiler is the guy who services working mach
i may not be an operator but i can tell you, Boots are worth thier weight in gold. get a pair that you wear all day with out getting sore feet. I personaly like the 8 inch for tromping around work sites surveying.
I wear white's boots.....but my next pair will be Nick's. As far as the Wesco's go, mine are the most comfortable pair of boots that I own
If you're training to be a crane operator, three essential things, 1) sunglasses, no explanation needed. 2) something for a headache, you will have them, 3) stocked lunch bucket and water jug, you can't go through McD's drive through and you'll work some jobs late until job is done. Gloves are a must, soft pliable gloves work best for reeving cable in a block, pigskin or deer hide.
Cat, both Deere keys, Komatsu and Case keys are recommend whether you're running gear or not. If you end up on a dirt spread, having equipment keys is a must. Nothing worse than having to borrow keys. I have had all sorts of boots, White's are the best but they're getting to be $450 or so for a pair. Well worth it considering the $200 boots don't last a year and I get 3 seasons out of a $250 rebuild on my White's. Crane oiler takes care of the crane and may signal/rig for the crane. If you go that route, get on the fast track to getting your NCCCO rigging and signalperson card. Be handy with a grease gun, keep the rig clean, and make sure you find out where all the lube points are for the crane you're working on.
Cat boots are heavy - FYI.
brother, as for keys, cat 2 prong and ignition, komatsu and deere will be a good start. buy the best boots you can afford, you won't regret it. an oiler is a dying breed, learn all you can from your op and keep the rig spotless, and you will be a crane op in no time.
I know it's old thread but thanks for the info folks. I ended up going through the local 3 CEO (heavy equip 5 week courses), but have only worked as an oiler. 100 ton Grover hydro truck crane (my experience driving truck really helped out there) for Summit Crane, and currently working with 110 ton lattice boom crawler for Security Paving, doing the ave 12/99 interchange down by Madera (CA). I got to pull some levers on the crawler, and an enjoying myself working with the carpenters & pilebutts (rigging, pulling sheets, running hammer, ect.). I don't really know how involved an oiler is really supposed to get, but I am not one to just stand around if it looks like I can help (without getting in the way)...lol one of the pilebutts still didn't know I was an apprentice after 2 weeks of working with me There is def some terms that are foreign to me like whaler? soffit? falsework? (but amazing what you can figure out if you stay attentive and listen), but am learning quickly and am having a pretty damn good time (well cleaning windows isn't as fun as pulling levers lol), and am glad I chose this line of work.:drinkup
I'm going to assume you mean pilebucks. :drinkup Oiler's first priority is to take care of the crane, operator second, everything else third. Take any chance you can to bell the crane and work up to belling in the blind. I did a lot of rigging and belling when I was sent out as an apprentice oiler on a lattice crawler, it was invaluable experience. Being able to keep the hook coming in hot in the blind takes some time but it sets you apart from everyone else that one drums the crane into tight spots. I took my experience on crawlers and ran with it, I now rig and bell a tower crane. Whalers are typically a steel support beam of sorts that run horizontally, falsework is anything that'll be stripped later after mud is poured or the permanent structure is built, and a soffit is the underside of a slab on the leading edge typically. I'm no carpenter so take that info with a grain of salt.