Picked an old Link-Belt over a new Liebherr at the rental yard last Thursday, and I'm still not sure I made the right call

Got a big steel beam job coming up next week at a site in Tacoma. Went to pick up a crane from the rental yard and had two choices: a 2012 Link-Belt 218 HSL that I've run before, or a 2022 Liebherr LTM 1050 that was fancier but had some computer system I'd never touched. I went with the Link-Belt because I know its quirks, how it swings, where the blind spots are. The Liebherr had a 360 camera and load moment indicator that probably would have made the lift safer. But I froze on the unfamiliar controls. Has anyone else passed up newer gear for something you just know, and later kicked yourself?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorm896h ago

Man I still miss my old Ford F-150 even though the new one has heated seats.

wilson.claire9h ago

Been in this exact spot with an old Grove versus a new Tadano a few years back. The fancy crane had all the bells and whistles but the interface was like flying a spaceship. I stuck with the one I knew and the job went fine. Here's the thing though - if you got the beam lift done safe and on time, you probably made the right call. Nothing beats muscle memory when you're setting a heavy beam in tight quarters. That Link-Belt won't surprise you with a software glitch or a sensor error either. The real key is feeling COMFORTABLE with your crane so you can focus on the lift itself, not the controls. So don't beat yourself up too much. You picked proven reliability over shiny new tech, and that's a real gamble sometimes.