I compared a luffing boom jib to a standard lattice boom on a tight job downtown

Last month we had a job in Seattle squeezing a 12 ton HVAC unit between two buildings on a 60 foot wide lot. I ran my standard lattice boom first and it took me almost 4 hours just to get the load positioned because of the clearance issues. Swapped over to a luffing jib the next day and I had that unit set in under 90 minutes. The ability to adjust the boom angle while keeping the hook plumb made all the difference in such a tight space. Has anyone else found the luffing jib worth the extra setup time on cramped urban sites?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnthompson22d agoMost Upvoted

Hold on, 4 hours? With a standard lattice boom in a 60 foot lot? I would have thrown my hard hat by hour two and just called it a day. You had more patience than me, I would have been ready to torch the whole rig. That 90 minute swap makes sense though, being able to tweak the angle without swinging the load around is a game changer when you're that tight. I've seen guys try to muscle a standard boom into a spot like that and end up taking a chunk out of a building.

jordancoleman22d ago

You ever had a buddy who swore he could "just make it fit" with a standard boom and spent the whole afternoon with his shirt off cussing at a truck?