Pulled a 50-ton crawler into a tight spot in Chicago last Tuesday and barely cleared a parked semi

I was setting up at a job site near the old rail yards off Cicero Ave. The spot was marked out by the GC but they didn't account for a delivery truck that was half-blocking the entrance. Had to do a blind pivot with my spotter on the radio and we ended up with maybe 6 inches of clearance on both sides. Anyone else ever deal with job sites where the staging area feels way too tight for the machine you brought?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarc121mo ago

You mentioned the GC "didn't account for a delivery truck" blocking the entrance. That makes me wonder - what kind of communication did you have with the general contractor ahead of time about the site access? I've found that a lot of these tight spots happen because someone in the office draws up the plan without ever walking the actual ground. Did you get a chance to do a walkthrough before you brought the machine in, or was it more of a show up and figure it out situation? Because six inches is cutting it too close for comfort, especially when you're talking about a 50-ton rig in Chicago traffic.

jade5171mo ago

Six inches? That's a generous cushion, you were practically doing a parade lap through there. Next time just close your eyes and send it, the spotter's radio is just for entertainment anyway.