Crane Loading Platforms - The Safety of a Constant Rating

 

What is an 11,000 lb rated deck? If you look at some of the other brands on the market, they'll claim an 11,000 lb rating. When you look into it, there are multiple length settings available. The 11,000 lbs setting is the furthest in setting. With our Eichinger Retractable Outrigger Decks, that rating is the center of the deck with it fully extended. We believe that we are safer when we have a constant rating. Our people in the field aren't there read drawings and have potential human error. With our decks we seek to eliminate the potential for errors and deliver more capacity at the same time. 

If you go to our website you can see the variety of options we have. Modular construction for ease of transport on the 13'-7" wide decks. Welded decks so you can assemble it once and truck it as is at 10'-7" wide. Or we can go narrow if that's what's right for your job. 

We'll powder coat in your colors is you desire. Fully enclosed sides help to ensure that nothing gets dropped below. The gentle ramp makes it easy to get items on and off the ramped area. And the action is so easy that even a single person can extend or retract the decs. 

If you are burned out on the rentals and wish to own your own decks, we can help 

The Challenge riggers face in the field is the delivery of unrated crane bins. Items show up on a truck and they rig it up with straps to get it off of the truck. If you don't fly overhead, most jobs wouldn't think much of it. If you are with a large contractor with any sophistication, they'll want that box rated. It's required in OSHA 1926.251 and ASME B30.20. 

Subcontractors and suppliers make life difficult with bins that solve their issues without considering the legal requirements to attach them to a crane. What we can do is supply bins that either take care of this at the supplier level, or you can transfer them on a job site. 

We have Pallet Bins that are designed to be the size of a pallet at 40 by 48 inches. They can be singles or doubles. Rated at 3300 or 6600 lbs respectively. You can get them with gates like these, or a drop down ramp so you can land it on a roof then pallet jack the items out. You have a 4 point lifting system at the top so it can't get out of level. These would typically have a shackle at the top so you can just hook in. If you wanted to use it with a forklift, it has the pockets integrated for that. 

We have Pall Skips that come up to 7' long by 4'-9"  and 2.5 tall. The result is that it's a 2 yard bin rated at 6600 lbs on a four point lift. Toss in that random rebar that is sharp and hard to rig up. Those rolls of roofing or shoring waterproofing. Really, just anything random can go in these and be safety transported. Stop thinking the box will be ok and feel the certainty the Pall Skip can deliver. When you get to the location, if you wanted to dump out the items, the front is sloped to make this easy if you simply remove the two front connections and hoist up just on the back two lifting loops. 

Universal skips are set up to work with both cranes and forklifts. The stack together for easy storage and shipping. They vary in size from 0.39 yards to 1.3 yards. At 1.3 yards, think of them as similar to a pallet sized bin. It's a good option to replace plastic tote bins that are set up by subcontractors on castors. These are simply rated and won't fail at an undetermined time because they aren't plastic. 

These are the size of a pallet at 47 by 41 inches. Most pallets won't fit in them, but essentially the same items will. Coming with castors optional, if you are looking for pallets or pallet totes to solve your needs in transporting gear, this is a solid offering to get in compliance. In doing so, you'll be faster and safer at the same time. 

On the market you'll find Bulk Bins. These are stackable, add castors, lids, powder coated, galvanized, dumps out on the rear lifting eyes. And they range from 0.39 yards to 5.3 yards and have a rating of 13,230 lbs. Four point lifting as a stack of two as well. These are an awesome utility. When set up to 1 yard as the size, you can access materials in the top or bottom bin. You could replace stillage bins quickly with these.

In Europe these are used to collect waste. Much of their construction is brick based. So you'll see these getting abused with people throwing bricks at them for decades. And they take it. The durability for our operations in the US would be incredible. They'll last careers. 

Drop Bottom bins are another incredibly durable bin that is for cranes, forklifts, Castors, they can be done in two compartments, with mesh instead of 3 mm plate. Rated at 4400 lbs and up to 2.6 yards, these can be trash bins, move supplies, or materials. Put castors on them and push them around a floor. Then take them to the hoist where they can be brought down and dumped out with the forklift. Or if you need to scrap out a floor with a crane, little gets in the way of loading it. When you get to the dumpster you can drop the bottom either quickly if it's light (think of the shockloading) or set it in the dumpster, pull the rope and hoist up so it gently comes out. This is another item that will last a career. 

Square stillage with Eichinger is rated up to 4400 lbs for crane lifts. 

They come as bins as well. 

The round variant can have links as the lifting points and be rated to 3300 lbs. 

They also come in mesh or steel sides. 

Beyond the safety of having lifting eyes versus slings, if you spend 20 minutes a day looking for slings, rigging them up, and inspecting, and let's say the sub contractors lose 2 hours a day in pre-rigging items, that miniscule number leads to an $84,000 loss of income for the job. 20 minutes on a 5 day work week. We are expensive as labor. Eichinger and Seattle Tower Crane can help mitigate these expenses simply by supplying four point lifting eyes on all of our bins. The question is, do you spend up front to save multiples on the back end? I would suggest it as a good idea. 

 

 

Where is the Weak Link in Your Lift?

 

Note the deflection in the structure of the black box

One of the practices that we use in the construction field with regularity involves choking, or simply slinging boxes of items up. The rationale used is commonly that the sling governs the rating on the lift. I would like to challenge this line of thought. Not only do I think the practice is dangerous, I think it’s flat illegal in the United States. OSHA addresses this matter several times in the Letters of Interpretation regarding 1926.251.

1926.251(a)(4)

Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials, shall be marked to indicate the safe working loads and shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load.

If we start with the highlighted section, we can clearly see OSHA wants all lifting items rated and tested. Does anyone think the black box is rated or tested? Is it marked for it’s capacity? In this case, if we presume those are 2” straps rated for 6400 in a vertical and 5000 lbs in a choke, are we safe to assume that we can put 10,000 lbs in that box and fly it? A ¾ ton truck fully loaded in that box and we are good? And it still has the 3:1 safety factor (ASME B30.20 requirement) so it shouldn’t fail until we put three of them in the box? If the box fails, do the slings stand up to the shock loading? You can see the deflection in the box as it is currently loaded. Are we at only 33% of the boxes ultimate capacity as it is rigged? You can stop me at any point where you agree that the practice is flawed.

If the load is contained in the box, then the box must be rated. The concept is simple once you hear or see it. The lift is a chain of items that must be rated and planned. The footing of the crane is commonly 1.65x the highest loading possible. Same for the crane structure. The hoist line is 5x. The brakes on a crane hoist are commonly 125%  of the rated line pull with 2 of them in operation. The slings are a minimum of 4x. But then we want to put a box in the chain that isn’t even rated? All of the effort to get here with safety, only to set it aside to save $100? I should note that many of these boxes are rated at 1500 lbs when lifted by a forklift. This doesn’t even have support where the tines would be. The reasoning is flawed. The box has to be rated. And this isn’t just me making the argument. OSHA makes it too in the following Letter of Interpretation:

 Question (1): Section 1926.251(a)(4) requires that special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories be proof-tested prior to use. A voluntary industry consensus standard, ASME B30.20, states that load tests "should" be performed. For purposes of OSHA compliance, does §1926.251(a)(4) supersede the ASME requirement?

Answer
Yes. The OSHA requirements regarding proof-testing special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories are governed by 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(4), not the ASME B30.20 standard. Section 1926.251(a)(4) states:

Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials... shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load. [Emphasis added.]

Further, §1926.32 provides certain definitions which are used in the application of Part 1926 regulations. Specifically, §1926.32(q) states:

Shall means mandatory.

Therefore, the requirement that special custom-design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories be proof-tested prior to use is mandatory, and failure to comply is a violation of OSHA requirements.

Question (2): Other than for slings, it appears that there are no inspection criteria for below-the-hook lifting devices in the OSHA regulations. Would I be in compliance with OSHA requirements if I followed ASME B30.20 for inspections of below-the-hook lifting devices?

Answer
Yes. Section 1926.251 does not address inspection criteria for below-the-hook lifting devices, except for slings used in conjunction with other material handling equipment.

Under the "General Duty Clause" (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers must:

furnish to each of [its] employees employment... free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm...

The construction industry recognizes the necessity for inspections of below-the-hook lifting devices. An employer who follows ASME B.30.20, specifically sections 20-1.3.1 through 20-1.3.7 and 20-1.3.9 with respect to inspections for below-the-hook lifting devices (other than for slings), would be considered to be in compliance with OSHA requirements.

Source Letter Link

Links to other OSHA Letters on 1926.251

 

It’s to our benefit to know that your equipment is safe and sound. I can appreciate the ease and affordability of plastic lifting boxes. But they aren’t safe. They aren’t rated for a crane lift. The common fork load capacity is rated at 1500 lbs. If that were an engineered number, then the tote would be good for 500 lbs, or less as a crane lifting item. I would say less because nothing is supporting under the middle of the tote. And when will that plastic become brittle? Will it be during a lift like this one where it’s asked to bend? Let’s not meet the loved ones of a co worker after choosing to insert weak links into our lifting plans. Out with the plastic. Demand ASME designed and rated products at the minimum. Stop flying these items and hoping they hold together while you choke them with slings. And that’s all you are doing… Hoping. 

Great Self-Levelling Flying Forks for Cranes

 The nuance of Great Pallet Forks for Tower Cranes. 

Whether you call them Pickle Forks if you are an old timer. Crane Forks or Crane Pallet Forks, Self Leveling Pallet forks if they are balanced by a spring, or Flying Forks, Crane Pallet forks by Eichinger are some of the best you can buy. The reasons are nuanced and deep in the design. Let's dive in. 

The range of the forks are 3300 to 6600 lb ratings. Most Forks take 30 to 50% of the load in order to balance properly. And those are the published numbers you'll hear from Eichinger. But I've seen them work at 26% with room for adjustment on the manual versions. The automatic versions do just as well at finding the balance. The smooth action of the tubes that have no internal welds leads to smooth action and a system that works on balance alone where the internal rollers are getting stuck on spatter like you'll find on plenty of other brands. 

The forks are either milled on three sides like you see here so they'll dive into pallets easily, or they are made from fork tine extensions that give an incredibly narrow profile making the charging of the tines a joy. Moreover, they have handles. If you've ever worked with forks with out the handles, you know quite well what that can feel like as you charge the forks only to have your fingers be the softner for the mast on the materials you are lifting. Handles keep the finger safe from impacts. 

The smooth internal tubes also so well to enable smooth action when telescoping for mast up or down. Reaching an ultimate height of 5'-9" at the heel, you can grab those tall pallets of bricks without much worry with these forks. Even better on the mast is a place to store a chain to retain pallets to the mast. It jumps over and intuitively has a catch where you can drop the chain in and feel assured that everything will make it to the intended location. 

The tines adjust in and out quite well. turn the eye bolt and suddenly the adjustments are ready for just a little pressure. At the end of the support is a small bolt that will keep them from ever leaving the structure accidentally. These flying forks are here to stay and no concerns should be had that human error will cause an accident as long as the bolt is in place. 

Powder coating will lead to a long life as the forks will resist corrosion just about as long as most of us will live. And supplies, should you need another set are always ready to go. Flying forks are a top seller for us and we'll always be at the ready for your needs. 

The laser cuts on the 3300 and 4400 lb versions are just the coolest tech. We notch out the inside of the head and bend it down to make what is essentially a single unit head with gusset plates on it. The welds are then robotic and beautiful work. Just know that everything that you can't see is also fantastic quality as well. 

I might be biased, but I think that Eichinger and Seattle Tower Crane have the best crane forks on the market. If you wanted to get yourself a set to find out for yourselves, you can reach out at sales@seattletowercrane.com, or just roll over to Seattletowercrane.com and see for yourself.

Automated Self Dumping Bins

 Self Dumping Bins out of Europe are much the same from brand to brand. In the last 15 years they have made a splash in changing out we handle trash in North America. We always used clamshell systems for a variety of reasons, but it's been chipped away by the great European designs that are commonly called Boat Skips, or Muck Skips. 

The reason for the change is due to durability and usability. A 4 yard Self Dumping Trash Bin is rated at 13,230 lbs. This is with a 3:1 safety factor for most manufacturers. This leads to durability. I've seen two of these bins damaged in my career. One due to grabbing it with a thumb on an excavator, and one due to being runover by a forklift. A bit hard to fault the bin. Clamshells are commonly damaged to about 20% of it's value on every job. I could line up the photos, but being sued isn't attractive. 

The usability factor is amplified by Eichinger's 1045 FA bins. They have a rotating latch that allows the crane operator to rotate the latch which makes dumping or flying optional without the aide of a rigger. What I see is a bin that doesn't require anyone to get into a dumpster filled with fall hazards, sharps and pinches. The boat skips I have been selling until today found that riggers were still getting in the dumpster to deal with a safety latch. I would explain until I'm blue in the face that they aren't required to use it and that it exists so the bale arm doesn't get knocked

over and into someone, but that knowledge would be set aside for the training that is inherent to use all safety devices. In this case, to impose a danger. But this problem is now solved with the automatic rotating latch. You can't remove the attachment to the crane without laying the arm down, so there is no longer a hazard of a falling bale arm. Since there is no latch, there is no reason for the riggers to expose themselves to the danger. Viola, the safety crane trash bin on the market is born. 

We can go to massive scales with these as well. 10.4 yards. If you need to excavate a project with a crane, these are the tools you need. Land the bin, laydown the arm out of the way of the excavator. Load. Lift it and land it up top where it can be dumped out in seconds without intervention. Send it back down and land it with guidance because it will certainly be in the blind for the operator. And... repeat. 

seattletowercrane.com can help with these bins. sales@seattletowercrane.com to order today. 

Overload Testing Below the Hook Items

 Let me start by saying, I'm pro safety. I love oversight. I started a blog on tower crane accidents over a decade ago because I thought people should see the reality of poor decisions and what those decisions were. I was a crane inspector working across the US. I participated in the writing of the codes Washington uses today and myself and a tower crane engineer wrote the test the tower crane inspectors have to pass today in Washington. Most of this work was unpaid. I'm pro safety at that level. But I want to talk about where it can go too far.

OSHA 1926.251 requires everything below the hook
is tagged and rated. Then it goes on to say that "Special Custom Designs" have to be overload tested to 125% of that rating. This applies to one off designs. Designs that are manufactured do not fall under this rule. They should be tested once or as a sample process at the factory. Then you build the same product to the same spec and all should be well. Think of crash tests and cars. We don't crash each car to prove the engineering again. The problem comes in our consensus standard, ASME B30.20. It requires a load test of 125%. This is fraught with hazards and could lead to serious complications.

Most of the European trash bins these days have large capacities. 4 yard bins have 13,230 lb capacities across many manufacturers. What are you putting in there to hit that 125% capacity? How about a concrete bucket. It is designed to take the volume needed and capacities are just above that (not including a significant safety factor). So a two yard bucket with a 8400 lb rating needs to be tested to 10,500 lbs. But you can't fit that much concrete into it, and that's by design. If you go to lead shot, you would be at 28% of the cone filled. So now you have added pressure on the gate that is concentrated. The cone has little to no resistance pushing out or down above the materials. And we are to overload test this to 125%? If it goes wrong, who is responsible here? A person is trying to be in compliance, but they are endangering others with compliance in these scenarios.

OSHA did a Letter of Interpretation on this in 2004 that is clear, but it can easily be misread. The questions involved are with regard to load testing "Special Custom Designed" items and being in compliance.

Question (3)(b): Where manufactured (not custom-designed) I-beams with shackles (lifting beams) are not load marked, are we required to proof-test and mark them?

Answer

No. Section 1926.251(a)(4) applies to "special custom[-]design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories." Therefore, it does not require manufactured lifting beams - that is, lifting beams that are not custom-designed - to be proof-tested and/or marked.

It's critically important that we don't seek to change this. You don't want to point load or load an item in a way the manufacturer didn't intend with oddball items. I am of the opinion that this is going too far and should not become a standard practice. It's not that it's impossible or 125% is too much. It's that it's complicated and should be well thought out. This is one of these points where we should be stopping the safety march. Do not adopt ASME B30.20 as a fully required code. Be specific that you don't require load tests when you are in stakeholder meetings. You really don't want this as a field practice. The math to figure out how to match the intentions of the designs are just too complicated to be a safely adopted practice in the field.

For reference: The products I sell are not only engineered by a company that has done it for 119 years, there is a third party (TUV) that reviews the process. The ASME safety factor is significant @ 3:1. The 100% rating is a real challenge to get to on most items. We should be inspecting them, documenting it and putting them into service. More is not always safer.

Boost Efficiency with Seattle Tower Crane's Laydown Concrete Buckets

When it comes to construction projects, time is of the essence, and every minute counts. To ensure smooth operations and maximize productivity, contractors and construction companies are constantly on the lookout for innovative equipment that streamlines processes and enhances efficiency. Seattle Tower Crane proudly presents its range of laydown concrete buckets designed to revolutionize the concrete pouring process.

Get them in your colors

1. Cast in Place lowrise to highrise projects utilize pump trucks to place concrete. There is no replacing pumps. They are fantastic. But do they serve you best on every pour? They often clog the air space so you end up with a tower crane idle, and an operator sitting without being able to accomplish much while you spend $3000 on the pump and operator. We could be talking about spending $4000 to do work you could quickly accomplish with a large concrete bucket. Several times in my career as an operator I have poured trucks at a rate of 10 yards in 20 minutes. One job was with a 3 yard bucket in foundation pours. The other was on a 14 story when we lost a pump and the deck pour trucks were backing up. The crew was spot on and not what we should conventionally expect. The crane was also a Liebherr 316 with a hoist that is commonly 2x the speed of just about anything else.

Low loading heights at 2.6 Yards

In a common scenario, the challenge is that 3 yard and four yard round buckets are just too tall. you need a laydown concrete bucket so the loading height isn't tall. Our 5 yard concrete buckets are 5'-5" as a loading height. This means you can tailgate the concrete at a speedy rate at the slump you want and load that bucket in about a minute. If you are pouring in a foundation or deck with a crane, you could pour it in a couple of minutes too. Suddenly you have 15 minute cycles to empty the truck. By the time the driver cleans out and the next truck is set, you've beaten the trucks, no pump involved.

Four yards with a hose. Common in Europe.

Laydown buckets are expensive when they are 4 and 5 yards. $12,000 - $19,000 are retail rates. But the results of the spend can save you $3000 per day. Four to six utilizations pay for the bucket and you'll have an asset for the next 15 to 20 years. Charge the job for the tool and make the bucket a quiet profit center for your business. Your competitors will be scratching their heads on how you bid the job and missed the 15 pump days that swings your bid to the winning one. Call Seattle Tower Crane to make use of the tools you already have on site and win that bid.

5.2 yard in for powder coating 

2. 
   

Forklift Tipping Bins that are Crane Rated

In my career running tower cranes I ran across a number of scenarios where having a bin of dual purpose would be fantastic. An American company makes an option that does sell, but I never liked it. It was violent for the crane. My time in equipment sales makes me believe it was never implemented as the manufacturer intended. Today I sell an option that does serve well for forklifts, or for cranes. It's a conventional tipping bin for a forklift, but we add crane lifting eyes to them. So if you wanted that trash bin up on a working deck, you can use it as a low loading option, or a tall and narrow option that can be pushed down hallways, or landed on small baloneys. Then it can be lowered to the ground and dumped by a forklift when it's convenient and you keep the crane moving. 

Our Model 2013c tipping bins can be built up to 2.9 yards in size. They can also be built down at .039 yards so they can fit anywhere. Put castors on them and just push them to where they are needed. Most are rated at 3300 lbs for the crane operations. Crane rated items are more expensive because they need a 3:1 safety factor as required by ASME B30.20. So our bins might cost $1900 where you can find them of a similar size for $1400. But the added structure is not only good for the lifting operations, the bins are stronger so they'll inherently last longer. We can do this with a number of our bins. 

The 2012/2044 versions are low and can be built to two yards in size. The advantage of not lifting overhead is a great idea to lessen stress injuries to the back and to the shoulders. If you want to see a long term savings, just lessen stress injuries by a few percentage points and you'll find some massive benefits in the bottom line with this small change. 

If you want to find a different tipping bin solution for your forklift, waste operations, or as a crane attachment, sales@seattletowercrane.com can help you out. Or seattletowercrane.com is a solid option too. From Wheelbarrow types of tipping bins to 6.5 yard monsters, we have some options.

 

Skip the Slings. Bulk Bins are Safer and Faster

 

One of the challenges in concrete construction are related to lifting baskets and four post racks/pallets. The jumping of gear from lower floors to the working decks as you remove the shoring off of outriggers is very time consuming. We are strapping bins, stacking them. Then unstrapping so we can move them to the lower item, then flying. It wastes a few minutes on each cycle. If you have 50 lifts per cycle that waste a few minutes every week, we are talking about potentially a couple of hours. Usually this leads over time. So for easy numbers, if we have two riggers, an operator and a tower crane, the costs are probably over a thousand an hour. Multiply that by 2 and if you have 40 weeks, it's an $80,000 problem. Oh... each job. And we haven't accounted for the unstacking either on the working deck.

Eichinger makes a solution for this. Bulk Bins. They stack. They have an opening so you can get to items inside, which means that you don't have to unstack, then restack. They are also crane rated and come with four lifting eyes which means no straps. And it's an unquestionably legal lift. 

OSHA 1926.251 says every item must be rated. When we walk up to a pallet, we know that you can't run straps through it and say that straps are rated. Most contractors extend this, and rightly so, to wood boxes. You can't legally fly a wood box unless it's rated. But when we get to steel, this reasoning runs into a challenge. People forget the logic. It has to be rated. And the Letters of Interpretation on this are clear, over and over again. The lifts in the pictures below are 100% illegal. 

The point I'm illustrating is that lifting items have to be rated and why not having a rating can be fatal. The four post rack is supporting the load in the third picture. So it must be rated. It must be used as the manufacturer prescribes. And it must be maintained. I bring this up because we use heavily damaged gear in the field all of the time. You have to think of this like a manufacturer would. They aren't going to be liable for your misuse of their design. 

Eichinger"s Bulk Bins eliminate this issue. They have a four point lift that is large and unmissable. You literally wouldn't have a reason to not lift them as prescribed. In safety, it's referred to as engineering out the hazard. The Germans have done this for us. ( I would lift these as a double stack for COG stability. This was a look at how level they were as a stack)

These bins are locked in place structurally. They can also have castors added so you can roll them singularly, or as a stack. We have a large variety of sizes from 0.6 yards to 5.3. And the capacities range from 3300 lbs to 13,230 lbs. As an added bonus, they work as debris bins too in that you can dump them out from the lower lifting eyes in the back. 

Look at the size of that lifting eye for a 3300 lb item. It's massive. They are designed to be able to be lifted as a triple stack and still have a 3:1 safety factor. Again, I would be concerned for COG as a triple stack. And you can't really reach into the top one so it's a wasted effort to do it. If it made sense as a move, you might want to consider something like shackling the top bin slings to the eyes so it can't rotate out. 

Just look at that lifting frame as a stack. This is mean to lift and support itself well beyond what you need it for. 

Stop lifting stillage and four post racks with slings. We also have four post racks of 4 different designs that can lift as a four point lift. Let's be more productive and be in compliance with Eichinger's gear. You can save yourself up to $100,000 per job and be faster in the process. It's an obvious solution to the challenges of lifting stacks of gear.