Warning: A simple chalk line trick saved me from a bad pick yesterday

I was setting up for a pick on a tight site in Portland, moving a big HVAC unit onto a roof. The spotter was giving me hand signals, but with the sun glare and some scaffolding in the way, I just couldn't get a clear visual on the final landing spot from my cab. I remembered an old head telling me once to 'mark your target, not just your path.' So before the lift, I had my ground guy run a bright red chalk line on the roof deck exactly where the unit's corners needed to land. From up high, that thin red line was way easier to see than trying to guess the spot. It made lining up the final few inches simple, and we set it down perfect on the first try. Has anyone else used a simple ground marking like that when the sight lines get tricky?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_kelly10d ago

My buddy Jake was rigging a sign in Seattle last year. He used blue spray paint dots for the anchor points because the building facade was all mirrored glass. Said it was the only way he could see the marks from the lift.

brooke47510d ago

Yeah, the mirrored glass thing is a REAL problem. I had to mark spots on a black glass building once and the regular pencil just vanished. Ended up using bright orange chalk markers, the kind with the little felt tip. They wiped right off after with just water, but man you could SEE them from the bucket. That blue spray paint trick is smart for something more permanent though.