Just had a new guy on site ask me how I judge the wind for a lift

We were setting steel for a warehouse in Tacoma last month, and he pointed at my little flag on the jib. I told him I watch that flag, feel it on my face, and check the weather app, but mostly it's a gut thing from doing it for years. How do you all make the call when the wind picks up?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_jessica1mo ago

Ever try reading the trees downwind?

quinn6061mo ago

Wait, you can actually tell which way the wind was blowing from the trees? I thought that was just something from old books! How do you even see that?

phoenix_martin401mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh wow, that actually makes sense now lol

troyknight18d ago

Read something from an old crane operator's blog about using the way dust or sand moves across the ground to gauge gusts. Picked up a tip about watching how the tops of tall grass bend and straighten out too. Found it helps on those days when the flag's just hanging limp but you can see the grass moving in waves down below. Good trick for the new guy to learn early on.