Talked to an old timer who runs a 50 year old Link Belt, said new cranes are too smart for their own good

Ran into a guy at a job site near Nashville last month. He was on a 1970s Link Belt that still had manual levers, no computer screens, nothing. I asked him why he never upgraded. He said he watched a new crane operator spend 20 minutes trying to override a sensor error while he just got the lift done. Said electronics just add more things that can go wrong. Honestly, I get where he's coming from but I still like my load moment indicator. Anyone else run into older guys who swear by the old machines?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyc331mo ago

Didn't those old Link Belts have a rep for throwing brakes unexpectedly though?

claire4431mo ago

Friend of mine rented a newer crane once for a big job. Spent half the day fighting a goddamn sensor that kept shutting it down for no reason. He called the rental place and they said "yeah sometimes they do that in the humidity." Swears he'll never use one again lol.