Realized I was riding the boom brake the whole time, then a 30 year vet called it out

I've been running a Link-Belt for about 3 years now, always feathering the swing brake on every pick, even small ones. Last month we had a lift in Charlotte and this old timer was watching me from the ground. After the hook was free he just looked up and said 'you're making that machine work harder than it needs to.' Turns out I was dragging the brake when I should've let the friction hold do its job, especially with lighter loads. He showed me how to set the clutch tension so the crane naturally holds position without me fighting it. Has anyone else picked up a bad habit from just doing what felt safe, not what the machine was built for?

2 comments

2 Comments

green.noah1d ago

Ha! Man, that old timer probably saved you years of shoulder pain and a repair bill you never saw coming. I did the same thing with a rough terrain crane once, always riding the brakes until a guy told me I was basically doing arm wrestling with the machine. Now I just set the tension and let it sit there like it actually wants to work with me. Funny how the "safe" habit turns out to be the one that wears everything out faster.

quinn1611d ago

Read somewhere that old operators never touch the brake after they set the machine, they let the weight do the work.