Just lost a full day's pay on a bad load chart

I was on a site in Tacoma last week and the chart in the cab was for an older model, not the one I was running. I didn't double check the book because the numbers looked close enough, I mean, it was only a few hundred pounds off, right? Ended up overloading the boom on a simple pick, had to shut down for a full inspection. Cost me eight hours of work and a $500 fine from the site safety guy. Anyone else run into a messed up chart before and how do you make sure yours is right?

3 comments

3 Comments

joseph_torres1mo ago

Man, that's the worst. It's like when you grab a can of soup from the back of the pantry and don't check the date because the label looks fine, then you're sick for two days. We get lazy with the small stuff, trusting that someone else did their job right. I've done it with torque specs on a car, just assuming the manual in the glove box was for my model year. It never ends well. That ten second check Caleb mentioned is the only cure for it.

gavinlopez1mo ago

Honestly joseph_torres, a ten second check sounds good but is it always that serious in the real world.

caleb_ross121mo agoOG Member

Feel for you, that's a tough lesson. I've seen charts get swapped in cabs after a repair or a rental return. Now I make a point of checking the serial number on the chart against the machine's tag before I even start the engine. It takes ten seconds and can save a whole day. That fine on top of the lost time is just salt in the wound.