Dooes anyone know what this crane does?

[tomfifield]

I sort of think it may be for setting towers as it has a turntable and can it looks as if it can also move the tower back and forth, it may also be for stringing or holding wire or both, towers and wire. I think I will stop and look closer and take a few more photos.

 

[tomfifield]

They were rebuilding a sub station around here and they had two similar trucks like that on both sides of the highway holding the wires up while they worked on the towers. Could be that.

That sounds like it may be it.

 

[aczlan]

I sort of think it may be for setting towers as it has a turntable and can it looks as if it can also move the tower back and forth, it may also be for stringing or holding wire or both, towers and wire. I think I will stop and look closer and take a few more photos.

It would be interesting to see more pictures, I dont see a turntable on there(unless it is buried in the chassis) , I see gears to let it slide left/right and front/back.

Aaron Z

 

[bcp]

Possibly a drilling rig with the drilling assembly removed.

Any of these might look like a short crane under those conditions.


casagrande drilling rig - Google Search

Bruce

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I have never seen anything like it, but I like the setting towers train of thought. It looks like a round collar that the sliders sit on and it wouldn't make sense ( to my non engineers brain) to build that unless you wanted to make it rotate able.

 

[coldsteelva]

Based on the shape of the cab, I would say that is an OshKosh. The lifting cylinders look to serve a single purpose - to lift the boom into a vertical position. The boom is mounted on a turntable, so the orientation of the vehicle is irrelevant to the boom, and the vehicle has outriggers, so we can surmise that is has to counteract pulling forces.

It does have a cable winch, but that likely would only be for small ancillary duties and not part of it's main function (thin cable). Based on the 'clevis' mounting points, I tend to agree that this may be for stringing power lines across a short distance or perhaps actually anchoring a new power line tower, while it's being installed.

 

[tomfifield]

I have a some more photos of it.

 

[MossRoad]

I found it....

 

[MossRoad]

So it belongs to PG&E, is that Pacific Gas and Electric?
If so, we know its for maintaining/installing something to do with the power lines.
It doesn't appear to be any sort of lifting device like a crane, because the cylinders for erecting the tower are too small.
It appears to rotate on a turret as per the alignement marks in the latest pictures.
And it appears to be able to move left/right and fore/aft on the turret.
What's odd is those four mounts on the cross on the end. They appear to be able to expand in an X fashion.

So what's its function? Can't find any similar pictures on google.

Next time you take pictures, see if anyone's around and ask what it does?

Very interesting. :thumbsup:

 

[flyerdan]

It looks like it used to belong to Portland General Electric, and was probably sold off to a local utility company. My guess would be a temporary tower so repairs can be made on the real one without live wires on it. Hopefully Mace will swing by with a definitive answer.

Edit: an image search shows that is was a Pacific Gas & Electric rig