My tagline reading habit bit me on a hospital job last Tuesday
I always trusted the load chart sticker on the boom, never bothered cross-checking the manual that came with the crane. Turns out the previous operator had swapped the boom section and the sticker was from the old config, a 30 ton lift was actually rated for 22. Has anyone else had a mismatch between the machine's tag and its real specs, and how do you catch it before the hook's in the air?
Checking the data plate on the machine itself instead of the sticker would've caught that swap right away. Make it your first move before every lift, walk around the crane, find the plate, and match it to the load chart in the cab. Takes two minutes and it's the only thing the manufacturer actually stands behind.