I called back and asked, did you say you were lifting a 20-ton magnet or a 20,000 lb. capacity, and I could swear during our phone conversation, the project engineer said he was lifting a 20-ton magnet. I started leafing through the quote document as well as the crane and runways engineering materials and it dawned on me that all our materials, as well as the RFQ, it said 20,000 lb. I hung up the phone (back when a phone sat on a desk and was wired to the wall) and pulled the project file. I assured him, one way or another, we would make it right. I would do a quick review of the data and call him right back. The engineer was upset because they were trying to make their first full capacity lift and he said the overhead crane could not pick up the 20-ton magnet! This is the kind of news that makes a crane builder’s heart come to a complete stop, as I envision tons (no pun intended) of dollars being flushed down the drain.Īfter I calmed him down, I asked him to give me 30 minutes to find the project folder. Almost a year later I got a call from a somewhat indignant project engineer. The fabrication and installation of the bridge crane went smoothly and the project was invoiced and paid for without incident. I was asked to bid and subsequently received an order for an overhead bridge crane capable of lifting 20,000 lb. I really didn’t think magnets were that high-tech, but evidently, they were. First of all, I was surprised that there was actually university level research being done on magnets. Their engineering department was doing magnetic research and was putting up a new building specifically for magnetic research. An All Too Common Communications BreakdownĪbout 10 years ago I was called in on a project by a major state university. After Tom called me and told me of his “close call,” I said he’d be surprised how frequently I hear stories just like his. The rigging company had shown up with a 50,000# crane rather than a 50 Ton crane. Much to his surprise, the Liebherr mobile crane had a 50,000# capacity, or about half of what was needed. Luckily the Lift Manager asked to see the crane’s paperwork during the JHA (Job Hazard Analysis Meeting) prior to the lift. A third-party rigging company was engaged to make two lifts, one lift to remove the 43-ton gear box from service and a second pick to put it in place after the repair work was completed.

Just last week I came across a project for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company where they had to make a 43-ton lift. was supplied.Įvery time this happens, the cost in worker safety and dollars expended is just astounding. This probably looks like an obvious statement, but a couple times a year I hear of a project where, for example, a lift of 50 tons was required and a crane with a capacity of 50,000 lbs.

50 ton crane lifting capacity