Skeptical about load cells on mobile cranes for years

Back in 2010 I was running a Grove RT in Houston and swore by the old boom angle method. Thought load cells were just another thing to break. After I lifted a 12 ton water tank and the analog gauge said fine but the load cell caught 14.2, I shut down immediately. Who else had a similar moment when tech proved you wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.oliver9d ago

Wait, you actually caught a 14.2 ton lift you missed on analog?

mason.drew9d ago

That 14.2 on the load cell was the moment I realized the old ways weren't always the best ways. I've noticed this pattern everywhere now, not just on cranes. People hold onto the familiar way of doing things because it feels safe and tried and true, but we ignore the data that's right in front of us. It's like how folks swear by checking the oil with a dipstick when modern sensors catch a slow leak before you even see a drop on the ground. Or how everyone in the shop used to guess tire pressure by look until a digital gauge showed us we were off by ten PSI. We get caught up in trusting our gut over the numbers, and sometimes our gut is just wrong.

alext528d ago

Mason.drew you hit the nail right on the head with the dipstick thing. I had the exact same moment but with tire pressure on my service truck. For years I just kicked the tires or gave them a quick squint and figured they were close enough. Then I got a digital gauge as a gift and checked all four. I was off by 15 psi on the rears and 10 on the front. Would have never guessed it. That gut feeling is just a habit, not a skill. It's like how the old analog gauge on my crane felt right because my hands knew it. But the numbers don't lie even when your gut does.