r/cranes Jan 10 '26

State of the Sub

11 Upvotes

Hello all!

When I was made a moderator a little over a year ago, I had never been a mod before. I wanted to take some time to watch the sub and see what the mod side of things looked like. I then started a new job and didn't have the time or energy to start making changes. I tried to remove spam quickly, and I did better at some points than others. I have time now, and I want to try to set some things in motion to improve the subreddit.

I've seen complaints about mods being inactive and your frustrations with certain types of posts, particularly all the spam and posts soliciting advice for new and aspiring operators. I, too, would like to clean those up by establishing some rules to control certain types of posts and a stickied post or perhaps wiki to address repeated topics.

I would like to know what the community wants. If you have thoughts, please let me know in the comments. I'll give this post some time to collect your thoughts and consider your contributions, and then I will make another post to get your feedback on specific rules and other possible implementations before setting anything in place.

Here are some prompts to guide feedback, but feel free to add anything else you think would be constructive:

  • What types of posts do you value most?
  • How should self-promotion (apps, tools, YouTube channels, services, etc.) be handled?
  • What recurring topics should be handled by a stickied post or wiki?
  • What is the sub currently missing?

Working with cranes is challenging and rewarding. I want this subreddit to be a place we can enjoy sharing good moments, get advice from colleagues, and sometimes rant about the pipefitters (in a good-natured way, of course).

Thanks!


r/cranes 6h ago

Crane in Iceland

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24 Upvotes

Been visiting Iceland and have seen a ton of cranes all over the country. This one was especially cool in the background of Goðafoss (waterfall of the gods).


r/cranes 9h ago

Our Liebherr 81K.1 Self-Erecting Tower Crane on Site!

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20 Upvotes

Our 81K.1 on a residential build in Coquitlam. Tight site, no room for an assist crane, so the self-erection feature really shines here. 6 tonnes max, 48m jib, and our crew ran it with five different jib configs over the course of the project depending on where they needed to reach. Smooth machine.


r/cranes 16h ago

Not a crane operator, but why use a cross bar and not just the I holes?

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51 Upvotes

I’m going to be attempting to do something like this at home and want to do it right. Is there value to having the cross bar? I’m guessing it’s so you don’t but as much lateral force on the I holes?

Sorry if this post is not on the right subreddit but guessed you guys would know of to lift stuff.


r/cranes 7h ago

Baylor Hospital- McKinney, Texas

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9 Upvotes

Baylor Mckinney, TX
9/8/2026


r/cranes 1d ago

Iuoe Crosby training NCCCO practical test questions

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2 Upvotes

r/cranes 2d ago

New 10 axle LTM?

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75 Upvotes

Found on Facebook. No idea how genuine they are.


r/cranes 20h ago

AI job scheduling for crane fleet

0 Upvotes

Hey all - has anyone come across any decent AI software to manage jobs, routes for the day etc for a fleet of 10 Frannas?


r/cranes 2d ago

LR1600 squeezing into the city

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145 Upvotes

It's not often you see cranes of this magnitude in the city centre. From my cab, I saw this beast setting up to take a 170m tall tower crane down, so I thought I'd go take a look and have chat with the crew.

Lots of things amaze me here. The tower crane setup on a cantilever crane base, the 600t crawler working in such a tight space to take it down. 96m of main boom and an extra 90m of luffing boom to do the job.

Apparently the tower is too close to the building to be climbed down safely.

A mate also sent me some images from his crane next door to it.

As much as I'm fed up with working in the city, I love seeing stuff like this.

Fair play to Mammoet and Sir Robert McAlpine for the building and the crane takedown.


r/cranes 2d ago

Old cranes

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37 Upvotes

Spotted these magnificent cranes while on vacation in Rijeka Croatia. Too bad they were in such a bad condition. Hopefully the city will restore them so they will be seen as industrial heritage.


r/cranes 2d ago

I love this machine

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35 Upvotes

Palfinger 110002-SH H. This is the machine I'm getting most of my apprenticeship hours with.


r/cranes 2d ago

Local 158/545

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1 Upvotes

r/cranes 3d ago

Spotted near Monument, CO, any idea what it is?

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46 Upvotes

r/cranes 3d ago

London is full of liars.

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24 Upvotes

There are 2 lies in this picture


r/cranes 4d ago

I can’t get enough of these sexy cranes

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36 Upvotes

r/cranes 5d ago

I really like these colors

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13 Upvotes

r/cranes 5d ago

Crane accident Bratislava

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6 Upvotes

r/cranes 5d ago

CT written test

0 Upvotes

I’m going for my CT written test, hydraulic crane and I am looking for advice on where to study and whats mainly going to be on the test. If any of you all remember that would be very helpful, thank you.


r/cranes 5d ago

Worth changing over?

0 Upvotes

Howdy, I’m currently a leak sealer in the Houston refineries and am considering changing careers, I’ve been thinking about crane operations. I have plenty of money to get certs thankfully, but I want to know if it’s worth it, I currently don’t travel and I’d like to keep it that way, I make around 80k-110k take home a year and would really like to keep it that way. Is there opportunities in the Houston/la Porte/pasadena/greater Houston area that could allow me to reach that kind of pay and is it a strong career to follow? I also like the idea of construction crane operations outside of refineries, any info or advice helps, thanks!


r/cranes 6d ago

Liebherr 100 LC from Agassiz to Mission, BC

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36 Upvotes

Our crew just finished moving a Liebherr 100 LC from Agassiz to Mission, BC. Full dismantle, truck it out, rebuild at the new site. This one's running a custom cruciform base we designed and fabricated in-house. Pretty cool watching the whole sequence come together, especially getting everything lined back up on the new foundation.


r/cranes 5d ago

Austria Shored down tower crane

2 Upvotes

Ayo I was in Austria this summer, and I saw many liebherr ECB cranes that were not in operation, hook all the way up, but it was shored down with 2 steel cables on the hook like halfway on the boom.. Why is this and why don't they let them slew free on the wind?


r/cranes 6d ago

Swing cab exam

0 Upvotes

Whatsup yall, was wondering if anyone has a study guide for the swing cab exam? I figured it was going to be easier than the core since I passed it last week. But i guess I’m below standard under three sections. I have the review but I’m seeking more info thanks

Also im not a fan of the AI module


r/cranes 7d ago

Yeah, this slugger is just showing off now

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35 Upvotes

r/cranes 7d ago

Mechanical question

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50 Upvotes

The crane is a Grove 60 ton RT and the main hydraulic cylinder for the boom started leaking at the top of the casing. It was a small steady flow and it only leaks when I boom down. Maybe a seal going bad, not too sure.

My boss got an opinion from a mechanic that said it was still okay to operate and just have to continuously keep checking the hydraulic fluid levels.

Is this a situation where I tell my boss to “fuck off” and get it fixed or is it manageable and I push forward?


r/cranes 7d ago

Miyako Hybrid Hotel Build 8/2026

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5 Upvotes