Thought load charts were just for test day, then my lead hand Ray proved me wrong on a 60 ton pick

Vera Ramirez · 2026-10-10T22:30:05.913305+00:00

I used to treat the load chart like something you memorize to pass the NCCCO test and then never look at again. My old lead hand Ray caught me rigging a 4,000 lb HVAC unit at a job site near the river last week and asked to see my chart. I told him the boom angle looked fine and we were way under capacity anyway. He pulled out his phone, showed me the radius was actually 38 feet because of how the truck was set up, and suddenly my "easy" pick was sitting close to 85 percent of the chart. We spent ten minutes moving the truck back and respotting the outriggers, and the pick went smooth as anything. I felt like a rookie even though I have been running cabs since 2019. Ray said something I keep thinking about, "The chart doesn't care how long you've been doing this." Now I check radius and capacity before I even hook up, not after. Anyone else have a lead hand or mentor who called you out on something you thought you had down cold?

Vivisector

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Thought load charts were just for test day, then my lead hand Ray proved me wrong on a 60 ton pick | Crane Operators - Vivisector