Vent: Tried a new rigging setup on a tight site and the wind almost got me

We were setting steel for a parking garage in Tacoma, and I tried using a double whip line on the main hoist to get better control for a tricky pick over an active road. A gust came through the city grid, swung the load way past my mark, and I had to drop it fast onto the pad, missing the columns by maybe two feet. What's your go-to method for keeping a long load steady in unpredictable wind, especially downtown?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbaraschmidt1mo ago

Man, wind is the great humbler of all our fancy plans! For long loads downtown, I'm a big fan of using tag lines with extra hands on them, if the site allows. It's not perfect, but a couple people pulling against a gust can make all the difference.

troy_adams1mo ago

Tag lines with extra hands saved my bacon more times than I can count on windy downtown crane days.

kevin_wells461mo ago

Saw a rigger swear by weighted guide lines.