Still not sold on those fancy load cell anti-two block systems

I was working a job last week in Louisville setting HVAC units on a 5 story roof. The site supervisor insisted I use this aftermarket load cell system instead of the old mechanical switch. It kept giving false alarms every time I got near the head. I had to stop and reset it 4 times in one lift. The mechanical one on my other rig never gave me a problem in 8 years. Has the tech actually gotten reliable yet or am I just dealing with bad equipment?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelt7017d ago

Yeah, "false alarms every time I got near the head" sounds like a nightmare. I'd be losing my mind resetting that thing mid-lift, especially when the mechanical switch has been solid for 8 years. The load cell might be more precise in theory, but what good is that if it's just making your job harder?

wadem8918d ago

The mechanical switch doesn't measure load though, it just physically bumps the cable. That load cell system might need calibration or the installer picked the wrong capacity for your crane. Not saying it wasn't annoying but the two things work totally different.

mila_brown1014d ago

Honestly that's such a good point, a lot of people don't realize those two systems work completely different from each other. Ngl I had a similar thing happen with a load cell on a rental unit a few years back, drove me nuts until we figured out it was programmed for way too light of a rating.