Old timer told me I was swinging too fast and it changed everything

Been running a Liebherr LTM 1050 for about 3 years now. This guy who's been operating since the 80s watched me do a pick and said 'you're jerking that load around like a fish on a hook.' He told me to slow my swing speed by half and let the load settle naturally before moving. I fought it for a week but tried it his way and my pick times actually got faster because I wasn't fighting the sway. Has anyone else had an old school operator give them advice that went against what you thought was right?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_kelly921d ago

That old timer wisdom hits different when you actually try it. Fighting the sway just makes everything take longer and wears you out faster. I had a guy tell me to stop "racing the boom" and let gravity do half the work, changed my whole rhythm. Sometimes the fast way is actually the slow way if you're fighting the machine. Did you notice any difference in your fuel burn after slowing down?

piperbailey21d ago

Man, @betty_kelly9 that's exactly it. Letting the machine do its job instead of muscling it feels weird at first but saves so much energy. Fuel burn went down about 15% once I stopped fighting the line.

michaeltorres21d ago

That 15% number seems high, most guys I know saw more like 5-8% after they stopped fighting.