Just some work pics

[CM1995]

Getting old sucks.

Crane Op at least your dad took care of the finances so you and your family don't have to worry about that. My father is the same way.

Spent Friday a week ago at the hospital with my Dad. He needed 2 stints and has been on medication that from a layman's perspective is draino for your veins that removes buildup.

Doc got in with the camera and tried 10-15 times to reach the 100% blocked one and couldn't get it. The other one that was 60% blocked look good enough he did not put a stint in so it appears the medication is working.

Said all of that to talk about this new medication. If it works like they say it can this stuff can change a lot of peoples lives.

 

[Joe H]

54 is in El Paso Tx, if you **** up you'll end up in Mexico.

Joe H

 

[Camshawn]

Sorry to hear about your parents. We have been through it with both of our Mom’s a year apart. Both not happy about being locked in. It is a lot to get them somewhere and deal with all the stuff that needs to be dealt with. My MIL didn’t have anything arranged and that added a whole other hassle. My Mom got everything in order just in time and it is easier. Wishing you patience, I certainly could have used a little more several times in the last few years.

 

[crane operator]

Thanks guys.

Mom was pretty chipper this weekend, they got invited to lunch by the director at the facility we like, and they had a great time, met a bunch of people that they already know, that are residents.

We've moved from (mom) "we're never going there" , to "we don't need the three meals a day, they serve enough I could just take some back to save for breakfast".

Dad told my sister that the food was great, can't remember what they ate , but it was good. He did remember, and tell my sister that they have a place he can smoke at. Which tells me that has really been on his mind worrying about it.

Of course, none of that means mom is any more ready to move, but it's progress.

 

[crane operator]

Climbing on a plane to Los Angeles this morning. I bought another Link belt 40 ton at a bankruptcy auction last week. I'm not sure condition/ getting loaded, and so I'm going out to get it loaded.

I spent quite a while studying the chapter 11 numbers, after I looked at the auction sale bill.

Reliable Crane out of las vegas was the seller. I guess I should say that the bankers are the sellers. Debts of around $60 million. About 40 million of it secured by the lenders. The other bankers are out of luck/ praying for a good sale.

They had bought 10 tower cranes in 2017 or so . And never made a single principal payment on them, only interest. Payments on just those 10 cranes has gone from 60,000 to $140,000 per month.

Bankruptcy documents in September showed $4 million in cash , vs their+50 million of debt. They owed money to everyone. Had a bunch of newer equipment, locations in Vegas, la, Arizona and texas. But they didn't own any of it .

I feel sometimes that all I have is 20 year old worn out iron, but at least most of mine is paid for.

 

[Mr. Wrench]

Climbing on a plane to Los Angeles this morning. I bought another Link belt 40 ton at a bankruptcy auction last week. I'm not sure condition/ getting loaded, and so I'm going out to get it loaded.

I spent quite a while studying the chapter 11 numbers, after I looked at the auction sale bill.

Reliable Crane out of las vegas was the seller. I guess I should say that the bankers are the sellers. Debts of around $60 million. About 40 million of it secured by the lenders. The other bankers are out of luck/ praying for a good sale.

They had bought 10 tower cranes in 2017 or so . And never made a single principal payment on them, only interest. Payments on just those 10 cranes has gone from 60,000 to $140,000 per month.

Bankruptcy documents in September showed $4 million in cash , vs their+50 million of debt. They owed money to everyone. Had a bunch of newer equipment, locations in Vegas, la, Arizona and texas. But they didn't own any of it .

I feel sometimes that all I have is 20 year old worn out iron, but at least most of mine is paid for.

Show us some pictures when you get a chance!

 

[crane operator]

Resting for 10 minutes in Denver between flights. Any more, I don't want much less than a hour layover, because otherwise you are never making a connecting flight

Left the house at quarter to 4. I'm wishing I would have had time for breakfast.

Show us some pictures when you get a chance!

But I don't think my boots are what you are wanting pictures of...

 

[Nige]

My middle son always takes a photo of his feet whenever he’s travelling and shares it around the family group. Not sure where he got that idea.

 

[crane operator]

Extra $75 for the exit row.

I was too late buying my ticket to get aisle or window, so two poor people are going to have to deal with me taking their armrests.

Because there isn't anywhere else for my shoulders to go. They make these seats for the munchkins.

 

[Deere500a]

Took a flight last month paid $24 for extra leg room,damnit life got me again. Flight attendant was a honey moved me across to empty seat next to her jump seat after boarding but no "dear penthouse".

 

[crane operator]

Well it starts and runs, and it was actually on a job yesterday.... Good thing I wasn't early to pick it up.

It's also blue. Really blue. Which isn't my first choice, and I knew that when I was bidding, but beggars can't be choosers.

Looks like it has a little blowby, and it is leaking a little hydraulic at the swivel. But it still had rigging in the boxes, way better than "we haven't used it in a long time". I don't know how they were dealing with emissions, but they must have been creative with the cali paperwork, because it's a 2003 and it doesn't have any extras on the exhaust. And they've been running it every day.

So we're planning on loading up in the morning. Probably going to have to wait a day on the transfer truck in ehrenburg Arizona. He's having issues getting unloaded in Phoenix. But we're going to go ahead and load it here and at least get it to there.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Deere500a]

Only used on Sundays by a little ol' lady

 

[Joe H]

Looks like they detailed it for you, it's nice.

As clean as it looks why not just hit the highway? Week or so and you'll be home.

Joe H

 

[crane operator]

Only used on Sundays by a little ol' lady
View attachment 362162

Yard boss said they do a lot of work down at the studios. Unfortunately, he said that they are closing this yard, and consolidating in a yard that is a lot further away.

I don't know what they are using for iron, because they sold all the mobile cranes, supposedly they are going to try to hang on to the towers.

In reading the bankruptcy documents, this yard was actually making money. The vegas location was what was really taking the losses. But you don't know how they are reporting everything either.

As soon as they declared, they closed the texas and Arizona locations. The losses from that iron sitting after the bankruptcy, may have been put all onto the vegas yard, which would have made vegas look bad.

Either way, supposedly two years ago they were generating $100 million gross annual revenue. They showed from 5 years before, going from something like 30 to 40 to 60 to topping at $100 mil. But the only numbers that are available to view are what has happened since September. And those gross revenue numbers by month, only work out to $30 million annually. So either they have really been cooking the books, or some huge project finished, and nothing started up to pick up the slack.

Articles said they were heavily involved in the raiders stadium project, and that works out timeline wise with the big growth and drop off.

I think it helps me to read all that, just because it puts the brakes on me on wanting a bunch of new cranes.

 

[crane operator]

Looks like they detailed it for you, it's nice.

As clean as it looks why not just hit the highway? Week or so and you'll be home.

Joe H

It's crossed my mind. But the reality is that they don't travel very fast. Lots of desert between here and home, and not very many mobile crane mechanics to fix it if I get in trouble, between here and home.

I just figure that the hauling is part of the purchase price, and then I can deal with whatever it's problems are, when I have it within a hour of home. If I have to fix one on the side of the road, I'd like to be a lot closer to my shop and tools.

 

[Joe H]

I said week or so but if it decides to o-heat somewhere around Barstow things could get pricey in a hurry.

Baker, that's another favorite quit running spot, gets over 100º for weeks at a time.

Joe H

 

[Mr. Wrench]

Well it starts and runs, and it was actually on a job yesterday.... Good thing I wasn't early to pick it up.

It's also blue. Really blue. Which isn't my first choice, and I knew that when I was bidding, but beggars can't be choosers.

Looks like it has a little blowby, and it is leaking a little hydraulic at the swivel. But it still had rigging in the boxes, way better than "we haven't used it in a long time". I don't know how they were dealing with emissions, but they must have been creative with the cali paperwork, because it's a 2003 and it doesn't have any extras on the exhaust. And they've been running it every day.

So we're planning on loading up in the morning. Probably going to have to wait a day on the transfer truck in ehrenburg Arizona. He's having issues getting unloaded in Phoenix. But we're going to go ahead and load it here and at least get it to there.

Fingers crossed.

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Looks like a nice one!

 

[oarwhat]

Can you tell us what you paid compared to what you think it's worth? Or maybe just a percentage of what it's value is?

 

[crane operator]

Can you tell us what you paid compared to what you think it's worth? Or maybe just a percentage of what it's value is?

So there's one right now for sale on iron planet, in Wichita Kansas. It would have been much closer, but it's black which is a bitc to paint over, a little older, and a lot of belger's cranes are run into the ground. They want $100,000 for it

I'm at $42,000, auction price plus fees. I'm going to spend another $11,000 getting it hauled, plus $1,500 in plane tickets. So I figure I'm $55 for sure, and probably at $60,000 as a round number by the time I fix a few things. Which would probably be 105,000 if I bought the belger one from witchta.

The hope is that I can be home at $60. And then sell my oldest tms500e. Which I think I can probably get 50-55,000 for. And then I move up a couple years and a California machine .

Most of the used 500e go for between 60-80. There's guys asking 100, but I don't think they get it. Mine could use paint, but everything works.

The three axle link belts work really well for the work we do, and they only built them for 3-4 years. There's no new ones out there, so I shop the best used ones I can find.

 

[CM1995]

Think you did pretty well at $60K all in back home.