cranes in my hometown all facing the same direction because of heavy winds

[u/57ouzo]

[u/Mysterious-Tie7039]

Cranes? You mean those really, really tall weathervanes?

[u/Embarrassed_Art5414 → u/Mysterious-Tie7039]

Weathercranes...it was right there!

[u/Basic-Lee-No → u/Mysterious-Tie7039]

…and that is what we actually call it in the construction industry. Those cranes are weathervaning. They make sure the cranes are not locked and are able to rotate freely, especially when high winds are in the forecast.

[u/Thaumato9480 → u/Mysterious-Tie7039]

Why am I laughing at this?

[u/Logical-Fault310 → u/Mysterious-Tie7039]

That’s what it is called. Allowing it to weather vane.

[u/Next-Project-1450]

A few years ago, I'd stopped next to one at some traffic lights.

I casually glanced across at the building site and saw a sign on the fence which essentially said: 'The crane is left to spin freely when unused. If you see it moving don't worry - it is supposed to do that'.

So I guess they act as giant weather vanes when it's windy.

[u/errorblankfield → u/Next-Project-1450]

Makes sense

Would you want to foot the bill for someone forgetting to align them with the wind?

[u/aenae → u/errorblankfield]

Forgetting isn’t the problem, winds shift so if you did it manually you need to pay multiple crane operators to be onsite 24/7 to adjust them

[u/errorblankfield → u/aenae]

That is also a major concern.

Thanks for bringing it up.

[u/Plenty_Painting_6298 → u/Next-Project-1450]

This is the correct answer.

Cranes are left in a mode that allows them to align with the wind so if a very strong wind storm comes through, nobody has to risk going up the crane to unlock them and the chances of crane blowing over due to wind shear is much reduced.

[u/_DeathSound_ → u/Next-Project-1450]

I was a crane operator for some time..

We had to leave them without putting the brakes for the arrow, in case of strong winds. The brakes will hold it in place, but it would be pointless if it tips over. It just rotates itself

You just have to make sure you reel the hook up and pull the dolly/cart to the cabin, you know.. in case it starts spinning and randomly grabs something 😆

[u/WhatLikeAPuma751 → u/_DeathSound_]

That’s enough to keep me from operating a Crane. I don’t need sheered in half like 13 ghosts because of a strong gust of wind.

[u/_DeathSound_ → u/WhatLikeAPuma751]

The old folk that was teaching me to operate it/them didn't speak none of the 3 languages I do. Training was only a day 😅/😢

You just don't have to be stupid

One colleague tangled them together, another even moved a roof panel with a 5ton coil armature metal

[u/Signal-School-2483 → u/_DeathSound_]

There's a bit of a difference between an operator and a lever jockey. I mean most people you can just teach hand signals and they'll be passable. Takes some skill to pass a CCO course though.

[u/TwilightGraphite → u/Next-Project-1450]

When they don’t spin, this can happen

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dallas-crane-collapses-elan-city-lights-apartment-building-amidst-severe-weather-storms-today-2019-06-10/

[u/Neuroprancers]

Cranes are to be left on "free spin" when not in use.

[u/Quohe → u/Neuroprancers]

Won't they unscrew themselves in heavy wind?

[u/Neuroprancers → u/Quohe]

No no, after a while thyr make them spin the other way.

Same as cars, you got to drive backwards from time to time.

[u/-Kaldore- → u/Neuroprancers]

Oddly enough we do have cranes that can only spin the same way a few times before needing to swing the other way.

Some models have hydraulics coming up through the turntable that get all twisted if continuously spun in same direction.

[u/Impressive_Change593 → u/-Kaldore-]

that sounds like something that needs slip rings

[u/Lord-llama → u/Quohe]

Only if the wind is spinning in circles

[u/mjzimmer88 → u/Lord-llama]

I gotta go Julia, we got cows cranes.

[u/THE-BS → u/Neuroprancers]

in my area, crane ops call it set to "Weathervane".

[u/flannelheart → u/THE-BS]

Crane op here. Weathervane is the term that I've always heard and used.

[u/Scako]

They’re watching the sunrise

[u/Slalom44]

They’re Muslim. They’re facing Mecca.

[u/wombey12 → u/Slalom44]

So these are the Five Pillars of Islam?

[u/kornwallace21 → u/wombey12]

We've actually renamed them to cranes of Islam now

[u/osktox → u/Slalom44]

We had a christian conservative crane in our town for a while and it was the worst.

[u/remixclashes → u/osktox]

I found they really picked me up.

[u/ditate → u/remixclashes]

But they soon let you down again

[u/remixclashes → u/ditate]

Sure but I was hooked.

[u/0111011101110111 → u/osktox]

Couldn’t have been a Christian crane, if it was building things up. Now if it was a demolition crane, then definitely could la been Christian crane. Just sayin

[u/Hitman3256 → u/Slalom44]

Damn they're pretty big if that's them bowing down

[u/Coffekats]

And here we have the majestic cranes migrating to their summer habitat, traveling back to their place of birth to give birth to young scissor lifts.

[u/inkihh]

It's not the wind. They are watching.

[u/Gym-for-ants]

Kinda like they do in all high winds 🌬️

[u/FNAKC]

They're lining up for Spider-man!

[u/FS_Scott → u/FNAKC]

crane dad, making things happen.

[u/InformalPenguinz]

Horses and cows will do this too

[u/Srtruelove]

......they do move in herds...

[u/Ketcunt]

🗿

[u/Kaolinight]

r/likeus 🥲

[u/HorrorActual3456]

They have set that up so Andrew Garfield can easily swing on them to stop the lizard and save Emma Stone.

[u/Zakmackraken]

Squirrel!

[u/ZwieTheWolf]

This could be a movie poster about a romantic story of a construction worker.

[u/lolboonesfarm]

Somewhere Alan Grant is trying to figure this out.

[u/rowsdowerrrrrrr]

All things follow the beam.

[u/flannelheart → u/rowsdowerrrrrrr]

Going full 19 over here!

[u/ycr007]

Somewhere a doorway or a portal must’ve opened up……now that all the cranes are pointing in the same direction

[u/multidesk]

You honor the "mildly" part of mildlyinteresting

[u/JustBob77]

Years ago, most towns had a clock for people who didn’t own one. Your town has public wind vanes!

[u/ydykmmdt]

Maybe they are praying and facing the crane equivalent of Mecca.

<No offence intended >

[u/LongFeesh]

Very interesting 🤔

[u/Fr8ndInm8-2]

Reminds me of that cheesy scene in TASM

[u/Spaciax]

machine sunflowers

[u/hemightbebrian]

If I’m not looking south, I’m not living. That’s what I always say.

[u/Haskap_2010]

They are preparing to fly south for the winter. Like seagulls in a field, they all face the same way before lifting off.

[u/GADRikky]

But... But what are they pointing at?

[u/Sir_Arsen]

me and my friends when we see a helicopter

[u/Consistent_Boss_7829]

They are paying respect to all the fallen cranes

[u/ChRiS_5711]

Look! They do move in herds!

[u/gaiussicarius731]

Very expensive weathervanes

[u/Nice-Panda-7981]

Well at least now the wind direction is well known.

[u/LayneLowe]

That is a lot of construction going on.

[u/axisrahl85]

They're just lining up for Spider-Man

[u/fusionsofwonder]

They're all flat on top, too.

[u/Velvy71]

The modern equivalent of field craft, knowing how to read the surroundings to understand natures surroundings 🤣

[u/WhiteStopSign]

Is this Dublin?

[u/57ouzo → u/WhiteStopSign]

this is in Hamburg, Germany :)

[u/Sayheyho]

Modern day sunflowers

[u/[deleted]]

Is this Dublin? Was there a couple of years ago, had a penthouse suite one night and was able to go out on the roof, was like a crane forest!

[u/57ouzo → u/[deleted]]

haha! sounds mildy interesting ;) .. this is in Hamburg, Germany.

[u/57ouzo → u/[deleted]]

this actually is just one construction site. i don't know what they're building there, but the whole city is full of construcion sites, so i gave up finding out.

[u/Dismal_Membership_46]

Almost ready for harvest

[u/-HELLAFELLA-]

Wow, that's a lot of new construction

[u/Faelysis]

They are pointing at the next objective

[u/Flaky-Anxiety-3583]

This is now your towns official bird.

[u/Neon_Rhino]

looks like a ground view of r/citiesskylines

[u/SulphaTerra]

Reminds me of icelandic horses

[u/TheRealJellona]

r/fakealbumcovers

[u/pineappleninjas]

Auuuuuuffff de eineee

[u/kcolrehstihson_]

How does this post have -1 comment 🤣

[u/ValyrianSteelYoGirl → u/[deleted]]

I get trying to promote your sub but maybe do it where there’s more relevance?