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Almost dropped a load last week - check your wedge sockets
I was picking a 12 ton beam at a site in Newark last Tuesday and noticed the wedge socket looked a little off. Turns out the previous operator had the cable looped wrong, only three strands were actually biting. If I had pulled up on that load another foot it could have slipped right out. Anyone else double checking wedge sockets before every pick or am I being paranoid?
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hayes.tara1mo ago
Buddy of mine on a crew up in Maine had a wedge socket fail on him four years ago. Cable let go at about ten feet up and the load swung into a crane cab, destroying the windshield and damn near taking out the operator. Now he checks every single one before he even starts the engine.
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wren_rodriguez1mo ago
Every single one before he even starts the engine" sounds about right, @hayes.tara - I'm so paranoid about gear failing I probably look like a nervous raccoon checking my own wedges before a lift. Guess that beats a windshield in the face though, right?
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