Had to pick between cable and hydraulic controls on a used 872 dragline

Back in 2018 I was looking at two used 872s in Baton Rouge. One had the old cable controls, the other had the newer hydraulic setup. I went with the cable one because I grew up on them and they feel more direct to me. Took me about 6 months to remember why I missed hydraulics on long days when my arm gets tired. Anyone else stick with cable over hydraulic for a job and regret it later?

4 comments

4 Comments

fionam112d ago

Ah man, that arm fatigue is a killer, I feel your pain on that one.

kellygrant2d ago

And yeah, the "killer" part is right. But something I don't see people talk about is how much your grip strength plays into it. I tried switching to a thicker grip on my racket and it actually made my forearms burn out way faster. The smaller grip let me relax my hand more between shots, which helped a little. Your mileage may vary, but messing with grip size could be worth a shot if you haven't already.

nathankim2d ago

Bro it's not just tennis either. I noticed this with my guitar playing too. When I tried a thicker neck on my strat my hand would cramp up after like 20 minutes. Switched back to a thinner one and suddenly I could play for an hour no problem. Same thing with my mouse at work. Getting a smaller one stopped me from death gripping it all day. It's like we think bigger = better for ergonomics but sometimes the smaller stuff lets your hand actually RELAX and that's what matters. Our bodies are WEIRD man.

troyknight2d ago

I read this study once that said smaller grips actually reduce fatigue by like 30%.