Clam bucket on a friction crane | Unloading a barge with a crane 

Great video Jimmy, also how do you not have like at-least 100k subs? I am one of the 10.3K :)

I'm a retired friction man myself. All the back ground noise is music to my ears.

My Dad ran a friction truck crane for years. I have been a equipment operator for 30 plus years but never had what it takes to operate a crane. Thanks for the videos, keep them coming.

Back when I was working full time, running a clam or dragline was my favorite pleasures to pass the time. Had the Zen meditation mind set going. Just became part of the machine. Great video, keep 'm coming !

That was cool thanks for taking us along.

Thanks for showing this, much respect

Great video Jimmy. As much as I like to run equipment that would be the longest day ever sitting in that seat. Thanks

Great video fun to watch the old iron work:-):-)

Just had to watch this for a third time - that guy is a really smooth and steady operator, gently teasing the old girl along - no rush, but every movement counts . . . . Excellent ! - from one who does it occasionally, for fun !

It amazes me how these operators do the same thing day in day out I think I would go insane well done to them

Running a friction is a lost art

Now this is awesome

Cool video!!

Spent a couple hours in one of them years ago. Lots of work. Good old red potash from Canada

We got rid of the last 5 friction crawler cranes in 2008. I didn't miss working on them. We started the change to hydraulic material handlers in 1995 with a Koehring 6650SK. The last new friction crane we bought was an American 7220 in 1983. We had 3-7220s, a 797 and an American 395 on a Crane Carrier chassis. We had some older 30 ton Link Belt crawlers that we scrapped out in the 80s.

After half a day in a friction rig with a clam on it, I knew I wasnt cut out to run one period. I didnt think i did bad with the other friction rigs but that clam was a doosy. Wish I had enough 'crane related experience' to get my cco, maybe one day. Thanks for the video!

Sir Jimmie !! Thanks for videoing & Sharing !! Have an 8 yr old Great Great grandson who will love to see this !! Thanks again !! As you stated with ""MIKE ROE"" ,,need more TRADESMAN !!!! ""KEEP IT SAFE ""!!! POSTED ON FACEBOOK !!!!

Miss running those Erected steel 200ft boom hc238a Link belt. and PH 670... New hydro cranes safe easy.. Some Lorain had boom down pull back handles...Some had live boom and no swing brakes. Nice operator smooth safe. Thanks.. Say a prayer for everyone especially older people now... Jim from NYC.

Awesome video Jimmy.

I thought for a minute there, we were going to get to see you running the old girl Jimmy.

thanks for the video

Jimmy the drone got some very nice views of the job. Thanks for taking the big climb. The Link Belt works great from what I saw.

Nice shot of the St Joe skyline and Old Glory at the end Jimmy! And thanks to the operator for giving us a ride in the Link Belt too! I'm counting function winches here and just wondering how many winch clutches and brakes are on this crane? Since all of the up functions and turn functions are powered then I'm counting 5 clutches i think, not counting the drive functions which would make for 4 more, then at least two brakes, one for the boom down function and one for the bucket down function? I'm guessing a third one to hold the clam shell bucket closed. This rig looks high maintenance and I can see the need for an oiler on them for sure. Thanks for showing this one off to us!! Fascinating piece of machinery for those of us who like to see the spinning bits do their work!

I watched this 2x it was so cool

Very interesting

I actually see a few of those around here fairly often loading and unloading different things.

Gah, I remember doing this for ship loads of concrete. 60k tons with an 11yd grab. 6 days of 18 hour days. Two or three times a month. Using the shipboard cranes. Which was a glass box with a huge hydraulic motor under your seat to keep you warm in the Florida summers. We wouldn't put the loaders and manlifts down into the holds until near the end to get the last little bit and bang the sides. As the generally had to be food grade clean when we were done.

Another great video. Would love to see how they got the skid loader down there and if the driver was in it. Tell the operator thanks for the ride along, really neat to see the working part of the crane. Being in maintenance love seeing the works of any machines. What size engine is in the crane. Beautiful view on top. Love the water and crane working. Would like to fish there.

Nice video, I am claming on a 338 right now. But couple differences and questions, mine is a tubular boom, also looks like your front drum doesn’t have power down option, and mine does, my second drum is free fall. I am a bit younger, so was power down an option on these rigs?

Friction separates the men from the boys

Jimmy, how can you prefer to operate a hydro more than a beautiful machine like this? I would hate to get kicked by the operator.

This was pretty much what everybody had back in the late 70's early 80's when I first started working. Almost all Detroit powered, some controls were manual, some hydraulic, and some air. Brake bands and shoes to adjust. When the scrap yard's and demo companies used the old clapped out ones wi8th the hydraulic controls they would pressurize the hyd tanks to about one PSI t0 keep the bands and shoes just touching because most of the time the adjusters were F"ed up. Some would power down and lowering the load was easy, and some you had to rely on the hoist brakes. Turning over backwards was always a danger.

I’m sure I can operate that crane with nooo problem. Because I slept at a Holiday Inn last nite!

Was that open swing bridge on a disused rail line?

Thanks for the great shots and the chance to see some vintage machinery in action. But "Pretty amazing technology for its age"??? Didn't you say it was from the '70's? Some of us don't think the '70's were all that long ago. :-) I'd already been working 10 years by then, and had mastered time-share computers. Now there's some vintage technology.

Looks like a link belt with an anvil bucket and rudomatic tag line.

How long does it take to empty out the barge?

Awesome video. That's the only way to clam in my opinion. Those old girls are great for duty cycle jobs, not so good on the knees. I always described it as like running a hoe but with a crane. I'm pretty new into the crane world on been at it almost 3 years, but was fortunate enough to learn the friction rigs from the other ops. The company I work for has a LS 108, LS 118 and a LS 98. Thanks for all your hard work and education. IUOE Local 18 Ohio.

Is the rail line associated with that swing bridge live or extinct?

This reminds me of an ol timer running a steam engine. so much going on that is all in the controls of the operator. Why is the sand red?

I used to erect Iron using a 75 ton P&H with 200' main boom and a 40' jib. My operator could run that machine smoother that the Grove 30 ton we also had.

Jimmy, how does the clam bucket work on the friction cranes?

Wow the operator must be damn tired by the time he clocks off at the end of a shift. How long does it usually take to empty a barge?

What do you call the reel on the side of the boom? Does it have the function to reel itself in?

I see from the replies a few have experience with the type of crane. Being a heavy equipment mechanic I can’t just watch and be entertained like most without diving in. I searched but can’t find a control diagram. Can someone comment on the controls he was using. The left hand I noticed he would go forward, then back. Was that to start motion then “catch” it? I can’t figure out what the feet were doing and his right hand.

The climb to the top was part of the YT fitness programme so we get to see great video content, was that fertilizer?

Do you think the operator’s of friction cranes are a dying breed? Are younger operators training on these?

How long to unload a barge?

First!

Does your company own this crane?

Dollar waiting on a dime… 😮

Looked like that one hydraulic line could have used a zip tie on it to keep it away from the swing clutch. But I guess to keep it period authentic, a piece of tie wire would be correct.

How old is this machine?

Dose the LS 318 stay there and a operator go there when a loaded barge comes in. Only thing you missed was his lunch break.

1960’s

Second

Looks like its potash being unloaded

That hopper is way to high

This setup is so inefficient. A purpose built material handler like a Liebherr or Sennebogen, or converted excavator blows this thing out of the water.

9 levers 2 pedals , how to make it complicated….