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Ran a luffing jib against a traditional lattice boom on a tight job site in Philadelphia last week and the difference in maneuverability was night and day.

The luffing jib let me keep the load closer to the mast and swing tighter around the steel frame without bumping anything, whereas the lattice boom needed way more room and had me fighting the radius all day - has anyone else found luffing jibs worth the extra setup time on congested urban sites?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverknight14d ago

Spent a whole summer on a site in Boston where we switched between both and yeah the luffing jib saved our butts more than once. Being able to tuck that load right up against the mast made all the difference when we were threading through existing beams. The lattice boom would have had us swinging out into the street and blocking traffic half the day. The setup time is a pain but once you factor in how much longer it takes to position a lattice boom without hitting stuff it balances out pretty quick. I think it comes down to how tight the space really is and if you've got the crew to handle the extra rigging.

thomas_scott14d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I had a similar deal over in Chicago last year on a tight site between two old buildings. The luffing jib just let me keep the load tucked in and swing it up and over without worrying about clipping a window or a parapet. @riverknight you're dead on about the setup time, it does take a bit longer to get going but once you factor in how many times you'd have to reposition a lattice boom it's really not that bad. I swear there were days where the luffing jib let me set stuff in one pass that would have taken three or four swings with a regular boom. Honestly for tight urban stuff I wouldn't go back to a lattice boom unless I had to.