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What is involved in getting to the tip of the boom on a building crane?

I've found one where the mast and ballast are in the middle of a black death construction site, but the boom gets periodically left over a wide open street. There is also a platform with railings on the tip of the boom. Is there some kind of walkway to the tip that I just can't see? Or just a gnarly climb/crawl?

I've envisioned hooking a pulley onto the cable and just shimmying out there, but I've never been on top of one of these things and don't know how feasible this idea really is.

depends on the type/make of crane.
Are you talking about a hammerhead (fixed "T" shape) or a luffing boom (hinged arm)? Do you have access to the operators booth?
there is usually at least a "less-than_optimal" way out to the tip of the boom if you can access the booth.
pope

I guess its a hammerhead crane.

I don't have keys to anything, so if I have access to the booth it's pure luck.

This platform at the tip "seems" like there should be some way to get to it...but I see no mesh flooring as I do around the ballast boom.

Hey dude
The two I was on we had to climb on the outside around the little hut. Then we climbed down through the center of the crane to the end. There was no metal mesh grate to walk or crawl on. Lots of grease though have fun.

There's usually not a walkway to the front of the boom, the way there is to the ballast arm. You pretty much have to walk on the boom itself. It's not too hard to sort out some kind of sling arrangement as a safety anchor to connect to the boom, though.

The 'T' shaped cranes can have the cab either to one side (in which case you can usually just climb past) or right in the middle of the T (in which case you usually have to get through the generally locked hatch of the cab). It is sometimes possible to climb around the outside of the cab, but it's super sketchy, and I personally wouldn't recommend it.

some cranes that do not have a center walkway have a 6" to 8" beam on the outside you walk along. They will have a safety cable attached so bring along a biner or two and some webbing and you're good to go.

**suggestion** do not touch the lifting cable or spooled cable... it's covered in grease
Also, it may be easier to climb the ladder up with your stash bag in front of you.

Enjoy,
Jason

if its a hot crane, wear your rig tight and climb close to the ladder or put it on your front, but not in the stashbag, stashbag it to big for me. usualy, i just wear my rig because i climb the outside of the crane, its faster for me and uses more muscles so the same ones dont get tired.

how tall is it?

As and cranes are my fav.

62 yards

^ At least getting to the cab won't take long You should be able to take a pair of binoculars or a video camera and zoom in close to see if the hatch at the top of the ladder is open. Also, be very cautious when climbing out, there can be some tricky obsticals on the outside of the boom and falling (stowed) from that altitute probably wouldn't turn out very well. Be careful to keep the grease off of your PC as well! Good luck, YMMV!

The pivot point at the top of the stem can be really greasy inside. If you're wearing your rig, be extra careful going through there.

Michael

P.S. Had my first experience recently with the style of crane where the cab is between the stem and boom. It was locked. I had to wonder, where is the trust?

Leave a case of beer there, with a note that says "please leave unlocked." If it works, you've got the trust. If not, then you're only out a case of beer.

Don't fall untill ya mean to
~J

I've done seven different cranes, four from the counterweight boom and three from the tip of the crane. Two had a catwalk till the end, the third didn't. I shimmied across on the outside. I ran into a locked cabin twice, but climbing around it was quite easy both times.

It was very much the same as what somebody described in this story...

Remember that a biner-backup costs extra time, increasing exposure on the crane. Shimmying across is one of those things that you'd do blindfolded when it's two feet of the ground, but suddenly gets scary when you're at a height.

If the crane allows (e.g. it's not a static-line jump); put your rig on as soon as you start to climb around the cabin or start shimmying. If you fall, pitch. You won't have great body position, but who knows what'll happen...

I second the comment about the grease. Stay the fuck away from it. Don't touch any cables. It makes things very sticky, and can probably do bad things to a pilotchute when you throw it.

this is the perfect time to learn to pick locks. there are a lot of resources out there for you. i learned to pick locks via the internet. good stuff.

Amazing what some sun and 7x binoculars do for your vision...

All 3 cranes I've been scoping have some kind of little ledge going down one side of the boom with a safety wire above it...I was positive two of them didn't, but sure enough, they do. All 3 have the operator booth off to the side...two have open access through the middle, one I can't get the angle to tell without accessing the construction site first.

Three jumpable cranes within a 15 minute drive. Life just got more interesting.

I'm letting WorldSoCold choose between these two exit points tonight.

Even if the crane has the cabin off to the side, there is still a hatch through the middle. I've only seen this be locked off once (on a repeat visit to the same crane, oddly enough ).

the boom of the crane is not left to dangle over the street but it is blown to that position by the wind, cranes are also very good wind indicators, 90% of the time. they are left to swivel in the wind for safety unless they can swivel and hit nearby objects, otherwise they are set up so they can rotate. this i found out the hard way climbing to the tip of the boom.
enjoy.

from my experience, u can reach the balast of the crane that is on the other side then the long arm , or directly from a control room, just look up, i dont think they close it down, well atleast not on the one i jumped, then some have the control room by side so that one is easy, couse the stairs lead pass it to the to the top.

So far I've found one w/ a piece of 2" tubular tacked to the outside edge of the boom (like a handrail), even had a 6" seperated steel walkway on outside, quite nice. The other two have just been like long jungle gyms. stay outside away from the grease, wear your rig, and don't fall over the building... provides a nice pre-jump buzz. we also stay in the building till the last possible bridge over to the crane, to minimize visibility.

a consideration, if the crane is left to rotate in the wind, the boom end is generally downwind... if that puts the weighted end over the street, you are probsbly jumping into a headwind... not the end of the world, as long as the winds are decent, but take it into consideratio0n while assesing your shit..

I opened up the 185 footer last night. I wasn't necessarily thrilled with the shuffle on the wet steel out to the tip of the boom...

I was solo, and I don't think I've ever felt as alone.

I had written out a narrative, but I erased it. I'm sure everyone remembers being on top of something somewhere in the dark by themselves for the first time.

Thanks to everyone for the tips..I found applicable stuff from all.

Congrats man, it must have been awesome.