Watch those rental crane safety pins, mine sheared off in Tulsa

Picked up a 50 ton rental last week and the safety pins on the outrigger pads were worn thin. One snapped mid-lift with a 4,000 lb load. The rental guy said the pins get swapped every 100 hours, but this one clearly didn't get checked. Has anyone else had luck getting rentals to show you their maintenance logs before you sign?

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tessa_murray2mo ago

Heard a similar story from a guy in Oklahoma City last month, same thing with a rental outrigger pin. He didn't catch it until the pad shifted on him, luckily nothing dropped. Most rental places will show you the logs if you push, but they won't offer them up first. The 100 hour thing is a guideline, not a rule, and they skip it whenever the machine sits around. A quick visual check of those pins takes ten seconds, do it before you even fire up the engine. Also, ask for the last inspection date on the phone, if they hesitate, that's your answer. Better to walk away than have a pad give out under a load.

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violaramirez2mo ago

And that's the whole game right there with rentals, @tessa_murray. They'll hand you a key and a smile, but the logs are the last thing they want to show. I always check the weld on the outrigger pad before I even hook up the chains, costs me five minutes and saves a lawsuit. If they won't give you a straight answer on the phone about the last inspection, hang up and call the next place.

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