A simple thing I see guys messing up with tag lines on a windy day

I was on a job in Tacoma last month, moving some steel beams, and the wind kept picking up. I watched three different ground guys just try to muscle the tag line, pulling it tight against the swing. That's a good way to get a nasty shock load on the whole rig. The crane op I was working with, a guy named Ray who's been at it for thirty years, told me to always keep a little slack in the line, just enough to feel the load but not fight it. He said, 'Let the crane do the turning, you just guide it.' Since then, I've been way more aware of it, and it makes the whole move smoother and safer. How do you all handle tag line work when the weather gets rough?

3 comments

3 Comments

chen.jamie28d ago

Wind changes the whole feel of the line in your hands.

the_jordan28d ago

Man, that's such a good lesson in not fighting the forces around you.

patriciah5123d ago

Yeah, that slack is key. Seen guys get yanked off their feet trying to be a human brake. It's not a tug of war, it's steering. Your job is just to stop the spin, not stop the crane. Wind just means you gotta be softer with your hands.