Miss the old lattice boom cranes from the 90s

I was running an old hydraulic the other day and kept thinking about the lattice booms we used at a job in Nashville back in 98. That American 9310 could lift circles around the new stuff when you needed precision, and you felt every inch of the load through the cables. Anyone else think the feel got lost with all these computer controls?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianawilson18d agoTop Commenter

My buddy Mike was running a Manitowoc 4100W on a bridge job outside Atlanta back in 2001. He had to set a massive precast beam within a quarter inch of a fresh abutment, no room for error. He swore the machine talked to you through the boom, you could feel the wind and weight before the load ever moved. He still brings it up every time we see a new crane with joysticks instead of levers.

henry15018d ago

Man I'd probably tip it over and blame the wind... @angela728 knows my luck.

angela72818d ago

Ngl that's how everything used to feel before screens took over.