Old foreman told me to grease the boom pins every single day...

When I first started about 12 years ago I had this old foreman, Bill, who was super strict about greasing the boom pins every morning no matter what. I figured he was just being a grumpy old guy and I'd skip it sometimes to save time. Well, about 2 months in I bent a pin on a Liebherr LTM 1050 because I let it get dry and it seized up on a lift. Cost the company like 3 grand in parts and downtime and Bill just looked at me and said "told ya." Has anyone else had a mentor give them advice that seemed pointless but turned out to save their butt later?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_bennett31d ago

You said Bill told you to grease the boom pins every single day and you skipped it sometimes to save time. That bit about saving time is where I think a lot of folks get tripped up - it's not actually saving time if you have to tear it all apart later. I learned that lesson the hard way too, but on a little telehandler. Grease is cheap compared to pins and bushings, and three grand is actually on the lighter end for what a seized pin can cost on a big crane like that. Did Bill give you a good reason why every day instead of every few days?

the_dylan1d ago

Little telehandlers are nothing like big crane booms.