ray562•14d ago

PSA: That 200 amp transformer swap taught me a lesson about lifting points

Was working a swap on a 200 amp transformer near the rail yard last Tuesday. Hooked my chain to what I thought was a solid lug, but it shifted about 6 inches when I started the lift. Had to lower it down, find a proper lifting eye, and re-rig it before I could finish. Took an extra 45 minutes but nobody got hurt. Anyone else ever trust a sketchy lifting point and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_hart14d ago

Had something similar happen on a 400 amp can last spring. What nobody talks about is how those old lugs can look SOLID but have hairline cracks you can't see. Especially on units that've been cooking near a rail yard for 20 years with all that vibration. My buddy Mike learned this the hard way when his chain slipped and the transformer took a chunk out of his bucket truck's boom. Cost him 8 grand and three weeks of downtime. You dodged a bullet by lowering it down, that extra 45 minutes was a gift compared to what could've happened.

sagejackson14d ago

My old foreman used to tell me about a job he did back in '09 where a crew in Nebraska had a 500 kva unit tilt during a swap because the lug they hooked to had a crack hidden under years of grime and rust. He said the whole thing came down sideways and nearly crushed a guy's leg. Ever since I heard that story, I always scrape off the grime around any lifting point with a wire brush before I hook up. It adds maybe 5 minutes but it's saved me from guessing wrong more than once.

the_laura13d ago

Scrape off the grime with a wire brush" - I get it, but that doesn't always tell the full story.