05.10.2011
Crane blocks road in Texas
An almost vintage truck crane closed a road in Beaumont Texas yesterday when the low loader it was on tipped over.
The incident occurred under a highway overpass when the crane’s superstructure seems to have slewed over the side of the truck causing it to lose stability. The crane appears to be an old Lima lattice truck crane and if so must be somewhere around 30 years old – if not more.
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The stricken truck crane
Given its age we would like to think it was being transported to a museum for preservation, however we have a ‘niggling’ feeling that it was simply being moved between jobs. A second crane was called in to help ‘right’ the crane and its trailer. No one was injured in the incident.
vertikal editor
We totally agree with you Mike, fair point and very well put. The comments on the cranes age do detract from the real message - the need to properly tie equipment down when transporting.
Rather than re-edit the main article we will leave it in place so those reading the comments will understand your point.
One small thing that is related to the cranes age is that had this crane been pensioned-off and replaced with a more recent model, it may have been travelling under its own steam?
Regardless of that your point is well taken, thank you
Ed
Good Morning Mr Editor,
The age of this Lima Crane is of no more significance, than the colour of the Drivers Eyes (Thank you Bob Marley). For this is yet another very good example of any insecure load. For its not enough to get the Crane onto the Trailer, the Truck Driver is then under a Legal Duty to secure it front and rear with chains and also to secure the Crane Superstructure from slewing in transit with yet more chains and stretchers.
(Two Chains are normally crossed at the rear of the Cranes rear mounted Ballast Block, then secured with two stretchers to form a large X pattern at rear of superstructure)
The objective being to ensure that there is no movement of the Crane front or rear, or side to side on the trailer. The Fact that the Superstructure did slew in-transit confirms that the Truck Driver did not secure his ( Lima Crane) Load correctly . So it is an example of an insecure load you should concentrate on, not the Age of this 1960′s model Lima crane.
Please re-edit your text putting the correct emphasis on Load security…and while you are at it, please delete that other offensive word from your description above ?
The reason being that Load security is vitally important for Road Safety in the USA, as well as in the UK.
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby BA