Got stuck on a simple lift because of a misread load chart for nearly 2 hours

I was setting a new AC unit on a roof in Denver last Thursday, and I kept second-guessing my pick radius. Turns out I was reading the wrong section of the chart for the jib configuration I had on. Took me forever to realize I was looking at the extended jib numbers instead of the retracted ones. Anyone else ever waste time because of a chart mix-up like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

henryp401mo ago

Aw man, I gotta push back here. A load chart is a load chart, and if you take five minutes to double-check your setup before you start, you shouldn't be losing two hours on a basic read.

tara6421mo ago

Right?! I feel like people just refuse to slow down for two seconds and check. I had a buddy who swore up and down he could eyeball his setup and he'd waste half the day tweaking things afterward. Every single time it was the same thing, he'd skip the simple 10-minute check and then spend two hours chasing a mistake that was right there on the chart. It's like the time you save by rushing is instantly lost ten times over when something goes wrong. Honestly, a load chart is just a set of steps, and if you can't follow them before you start, you're going to pay for it later. It's almost like some people think being fast means being smart, but it really just means they're making more work for themselves in the end.

nancyn691mo ago

No I totally get what you're saying but also I think there's a difference between being thorough and just being scared of your own tools. Like yeah skipping the check is dumb but if you've done it a hundred times the chart reading part is usually pretty quick. The real problem is when people skip steps and then blame the chart for their own mistake lol. It's not the chart's fault you decided to wing it. I guess I just get annoyed when people act like a 10 minute check is some huge time sink. It's really not that deep.

joel_jones1mo ago

Henry's right. Winging it is lazy, not fast.