Memorial Day

This Memorial Day weekend was a hard and busy one for those working at Wagstaff Crane. With multiple big cranes being needed throughout the weekend, Wagstaff employees were not able to take a "vacation"like the majority of people living in our great nation. 550-1 was working on the windmills near Boise, Idaho and traveled all weekend. 550-2 was busy taking down a tall tower crane at the Ogden Temple in Northern Utah and the GMK 5275 was working around the clock on I-15 near Payson, Utah, putting together a new bridge for the interstate. Each crane required an operator and around 5 truck drivers to complete these weekend jobs. Again, not much of a "vacation" for those in #cranelife.

I was able to work with many of the employees throughout this long weekend. I was expecting complaints and bad attitudes for the excessive work load, however, I was surprised that each person I worked with had a great attitude and worked without a single complaint. I have realized this last week that Wagstaff Crane has some of the greatest employees that a company could ask for. Each operator is skilled, smart and talented. Everyone on the payroll is hard-working and willing. I really do enjoy working with the fine employees that work for Wagstaff Crane!

New member of the family...

Today Wagstaff Crane added yet another member to the large and growing fleet of hydraulic cranes that service the Western United States. Jim Wagstaff, CEO of Wagstaff Crane purchased a 90 ton Rough Terrain crane at an auction earlier this afternoon. The crane is a 2005 model and similar to our other 90 ton Rough Terrain crane that was bought in 2008. This crane marks the 4th 90 ton RT crane purchased by Wagstaff crane in the last 5 years.

The Rough Terrain crane market has really helped Wagstaff Crane grow and obtain new customers. Prior to purchasing Rough Terrain cranes, Wagstaff was limited to renting purely operated equipment. This limitation hindered the rental of smaller cranes without operators on long-term projects. Since management decided to enter this market, it has been a very successful and profitable strategic move. The Rough Terrain crane has been an imperative component to the expansion of Wagstaff Crane in recent years.

The RT890E

Digester Lid

Today Wagstaff Crane completed a lift that was very unique and challenging. At a water treatment plant in Davis Country Utah, our 550-ton crane equipped with Mega-wing and full counterweights picked a digester lid that weighed 125,000 pounds at a 70' radius. This unique lift was planned weeks in advance and according to the lift planner the lift went, "as perfect as we had planned". 

I was able to capture some pictures of the lift along with this video. The video is a short clip of the pick in action. The complexity of the rigging was what made this specific lift so special. In order to ensure that the concrete lid would not crumble under its own weight, we rigged the dome in 38 different spots, distributing the weight equally throughout the lid.

Wagstaff Crane has prided itself on experience and safety for over 50 years, today we were able to see a safe lift completed safely because of some very talented and experienced employees!

Vacation from the #cranelife

The #cranelife can be very difficult at times. There are many tasks that are physically demanding and long hours that can become burdensome. This winter has been very hectic for Wagstaff Crane and its employees. Wagstaff Crane was hired to man many cranes around the clock and night shifts were common. As a student and employee I was working a lot of hours and juggling 20 credit hours at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University in Provo. Needless to say, I was in dire need of a vacation!

I spent the last week in Hawaii relaxing on the beach and staying far away from cranes and equipment. I spent the week with my family on the island of Oahu where we rented a vacation home on the North shore in the small city of Haleiwa. We had a great time snorkeling, swimming, cliff-jumping, and just spending time together as a family. My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Polynesian Culture Center and entering the Laie Temple. I was able to visit an old mission companion at the Polynesian Culture Center and go to the temple with him the next day. It was a great experience!

Our week in Hawaii really did go too fast. We loved the weather and the lack of responsibility. However, I am excited to back in the operators seat tomorrow, living the #cranelife.

Ogden Temple:

Last week was a very cool week to be apart of the #cranelife. Wagstaff Crane was hired to place a giant steeple and the Angel Moroni atop the newly renovated LDS Temple in Ogden, Utah. The steeple weighed in at about 63,000 pounds and was set with Wagstaff's Grove GMK 7550 crane. The 550 ton crane was equipped with luffing jib, Mega-wing and over 300,000 pounds of counterweight.

Their were many bystanders that came to watch this important lift be made. Many residents of the Ogden area were standing outside the barricaded construction zone, taking pictures and celebrating the new 14 foot tall Moroni being bolted into place on top of their temple. The placement of the steeple and Angel Moroni was important enough to draw many news agencies to the site. You can read the complete story done by the Salt Lake Tribune by clicking on the following link:

Salt Lake Tribune: Wagstaff Crane and Ogden Temple

I love to be apart of the #cranelife for projects such as this. It was a very neat experience for me as a member of the LDS church and crane fanatic.

Introduction:

This blog is dedicated to the #CRANELIFE. My experiences as a crane operator and employee of Wagstaff Crane are very unique and interesting. I will try to capture some of them through pictures, videos and entries that can be found on this blog. In order to understand the crane life, it is imperative that we start this blog by going back 50 years to 1963, when my grandparents founded Wagstaff Crane.

The company was founded by H.R. and Evelyn Wagstaff. They started with one small crane and a firm desire to serve in the Rocky Mountain area. As years passed, the company kept growing and growing. Hard work and perseverance prevailed and Wagstaff Crane Company has evolved into one of the most respected, and safe crane operations of its kind.

Today, Wagstaff Crane is being run by the two sons of H.R. and Evelyn, Jim and Ron Wagstaff. Wagstaff Crane currently has around 50 cranes and nearly 80 employees. Every day is different and definitely worth documenting.