A 68 year old oiler told me to stop watching the load and watch the wind flags, and it clicked on the first pick

Amy Coleman · 2026-09-16T02:40:04.138494+00:00

I was set up next to a warehouse in Amarillo last month doing a bunch of truss picks and this oiler named Ray who has been in the seat since 1978 asked me why I kept staring up at the load. I told him I like to make sure the tag line stays straight and he laughed and said the load will tell you where it is going, the wind is what makes it go somewhere you did not plan. He pointed at the little flags on the light poles and said he checks those before he ever pulls a lever, especially over 60 feet of boom. That same afternoon a gust came through around 2pm and I saw it move the flag a good 20 degrees before I felt anything in the cab, and I boomed down early instead of fighting it. Now I check the flags on every setup and it has saved me at least two sketchy picks since. Any of you old hands do this or do you just trust the load chart and feel it out?

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A 68 year old oiler told me to stop watching the load and watch the wind flags, and it clicked on the first pick | Crane Operators - Chatter Central