A new guy in Houston asked me how I keep the hook steady in a crosswind.

I showed him my trick with the swing dampener on the old Link-Belt. Anyone else have a go-to method for that?

4 comments

4 Comments

That pinky trick sounds like it needs some serious fine motor skills. How do you keep from overdoing it and making the whole cab jerk? I've tried something like that before and ended overcorrecting every time. Maybe it's just me but my hands aren't that steady after coffee.

allen.kai2mo ago

@angela_harris maybe skip the coffee before the fine motor test?

ninaowens3d ago

Feathering the swing brake with your left pinky" sounds like a recipe for a jerky mess to me. I tried something similar once and spent the whole day fighting the controls instead of getting work done. A good steady hand on the main stick and a light foot on the throttle handles a crosswind better without all that extra finger work.

wesley_jones2mo ago

Oh man, that's a solid trick! I do something real similar on my old Terex. I'll actually feather the swing brake just a touch with my left pinky while I'm working the main controls. It takes some practice but it locks it right in.