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Hot take: use a mirror rig on crawlers for tight spots
I was setting up a 50 ton Grove on a commercial lot in Denver last month and had maybe 2 feet of swing room on the right side. My spotter kept yelling over the radio and I still couldn't see the clearance. So I grabbed a cheap convex mirror I had in my truck from a landscaping job and strapped it to the counterweight with bungees. Worked better than any camera system I've used. Anyone else rig up something weird for blind spots?
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benclark2mo ago
Man that mirror trick is genius and honestly better than half the backup cameras I've seen on newer cranes. I rigged up a set of those cheap fender mirrors from Harbor Freight on my old Link-Belt last year after I nearly clipped a gas line. Used some welding magnets to hold the base to the outrigger beam and aimed it right at the rear swing path. Saved my ass more times than I can count especially in those tight residential jobs where every inch matters. Nothing beats a good old manual solution.
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hannahm391mo agoTop Commenter
Harbor Freight mirrors and welding magnets on a crane. That's the kind of MacGyver engineering that keeps insurance adjusters up at night. I love it. Nothing says confidence like aiming a $12 mirror at a blind spot that could turn a gas line into a fireball. Ben you're a menace and I respect it. Next up we rig a backup beeper out of a doorbell.
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