With 2018 drawing to a close, it’s time to take a look back at all the great construction and heavy equipment videos we’ve shared in the last year. These are ranked in order based on the number of clicks you, our dear readers (and watchers), provided. So join us as we take a look back by scrolling through the videos below.
#10: Excavator’s ramp of logs fails miserably
After what must have been a fairly long and tedious setup of creating a DIY ramp out of a series of large logs, this entire maneuver goes wrong with the snap of a finger.
As you can see in the video below, there’s nothing rushed about this operation. But not long after the excavator starts making its way down the log ramp, the logs shift and take the machine with them. It’s unclear what about that grade and loose logs made these guys think this was anything more than a huge risk, but at least no one got hurt.
Loading Fail.. Construction Machines
Posted by Construction Machines on Tuesday, June 21, 2016
#9: I-77 bridge under construction removed after being totaled by raised dump bed
A North Carolina bridge under construction along I-77 had to be dismantled and removed after sustaining serious damage from the impact of a raised dump truck bed.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol reports that, at approximately noon on August 29, a dump truck driven by Richard McFarlind slammed into the bridge, according to FOX 46 Charlotte.
Troopers investigating the crash said the driver had just dropped off a load of material for the bridge project and was on his way to pick up another load, but forgot to lower the dump bed, striking the bridge that was under construction.
Due to the amount of damage to the bridge, it was removed and the highway was shut down until approximately 5:30 a.m. the next morning. The dump truck was totaled, and the driver was treated for minor injuries. He was also charged with careless and reckless driving.
A representative of the companies in charge of the interstate project, I-77 Mobility Partners and Sugar Creek Construction, told the news agency that they were in the process of analyzing how much the project’s timeline would be affected by the accident. They also said the incident was due to worker error and had nothing to do with the bridge’s clearance, which was above minimum standards.
#8: Semi smashes raised, fully loaded end dump trailer right into a bridge
Every time you see one of these raised dump bed disaster stories, you can’t help but wonder “How did the driver not know?”
That goes doubly in this instance, captured in the video below, which occurred earlier this month along Highway 40 near Montreal. According to Le Journal de Montreal, drivers traveling alongside a semi truck saw its end dump trailer slowly raise to a 45 degree angle.
Other drivers attempted to alert the driver of the truck by honking, the Journal reports, but “He did not seem to realize what was going on,” Fracoise Lacombe told the paper.
With the trailer raised and loaded with grain, the impact with the new pedestrian bridge made for quite the explosion. Despite the impact and all the debris, no one was hurt in the incident. An investigation into the cause of the raised bed is underway, the Journal reports, and the trucking company could face stiff penalties if negligence is proven.
Voyez les images saisissantes de l'accident qui a provoqué la fermeture de l'autoroute 40. – Un poids lourd percute violemment une passerelle sur l’autoroute 40 à Repentigny: http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/04/04/lautoroute-40-fermee-a-repentigny-1
Posted by Le Journal de Montréal on Wednesday, April 4, 2018
#7: Dump truck dumps load to evade police in chase that ends off-road
It all started with a domestic disturbance call last Wednesday in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. When a Dodge County Sheriff’s Office deputy showed up to help, Theodore Tamminga wanted none of it and took off in a loaded dump truck.
Tamminga was loaded himself, according to the sheriff’s office, and while being chased by a deputy he dumped dirt and rocks on the road in an effort to get the officer off his tail. (The load hits the road at 2:17 in the video below.)
While it made a huge mess, it did little to stop the chase. Eventually, Tamminga opted to go off-roading (at 6:51 in the video) where he got stuck in a field and was arrested and charged with OWI for the fifth time. He was also charged with eluding an officer and driving on a revoked license, his second offense, according to wsaw.com.
#6: 24-foot Liebherr LR 11000 the most amazing LEGO creation we’ve ever seen
This amazing 1:24 scale build was done by Dawid Szmandra. According to the description of the video posted to YouTube, Szmandra says this 24-foot-tall custom build weighs 60 pounds and has nine motors, seven light sensors and even a touch sensor.
You can read more about this LEGO creation and see more photos at this link.
#5: This 1948 Peterbilt doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon (VIDEO)
Check out Iron Horse Trucking’s 1948 Pete in the video below looking strong and sounding off with its Jake brake in Washington State where it’s hauling logs down a dirt road.
“Now I want to restore one just like it!” writes YouTube viewer Jim Walkable. “Sweet rig. Old Pete’s never die! They just get better!”
Pete admirer Hank Schrader writes, “Hummin’ Cummins. Nothing better than a big cam!”
In the comments that follow at least one viewer points out that the engine’s turbo clearly is not a hallmark of a 70-year-old truck. Well, even if it’s had a heart transplant, it’s still impressive to watch and proof positive that giving new life to an old truck may not only attract plenty of attention for a business, but can also prove to be a real money-saver.
#4: Crane collapse during lift of concrete wall sends workers scrambling
Workers in Austin, Texas, last week were forced to run for their lives as a crane collapsed during the lift of a concrete wall.
Video of the incident, seen below, was first posted to Reddit. According to a report from KSAT TV, “nearly a dozen workers” were in the vicinity of the collapse, which occurred January 10. The station reports the crane collapsed when a wire snapped during the lift of the wall.
In the video, workers standing beneath the crane are sent scrambling as the crane falls. One of the workers, who was standing on the wall when it fell from the crane, had a particularly close call. When the collapse begins, he is thrown from the wall and must pick himself up and run away in time to avoid the falling crane.
The station reports that two workers suffered non life-threatening injuries and at least one was trapped beneath the crane but was freed.
Editor’s Note: Two versions of the video are below. The first, embedded from KSAT, includes sound. The second, from YouTube does not, but is provided in case the KSAT video doesn’t play on your device.
#3: Attempt to load excavator onto truck goes horribly wrong
Though we’ve seen a fair share of loading mishaps occur even when a ramp is present, this operator’s attempt to side saddle his excavator underscores the world of pain you can avoid by simply loading a machine properly.
Beyond the absence of a ramp, it’s doubtful this excavator even completely fits on to the bed of this small truck. In less than a second, this machine went from loaded to unloaded.
Posted by Construction Machines on Wednesday, October 11, 2017
#2: Operator rights drowning excavator, averts disaster
Unlike most excavator videos floating around the internet, this one starts with an overturned machine in the water rather than ending with one.
We’re not provided with much context on how this operator ended up in this precarious spot. But what we find out is that he’s not one for giving up. As his machine blows bubbles in a serious but not overwhelming amount of water, the operator calmly searches for a good spot on the shore to plant his bucket before getting enough of a hold to right the machine entirely. Check out the video below. (If you can’t see it, click here.)
https://www.facebook.com/MiningTechnologys/videos/1914569085238018/
#1: Excavator operator knocks down wrong building while demolishing the right one
A Baltimore crew saw a routine job turn into every demolition crew’s nightmare last year when it accidentally knocked down the wrong building.
As reported by the Baltimore Sun and chronicled in the video below, a K&K Adams demolition crew was performing an emergency demolition on a rowhouse that city inspectors had deemed “unstable.” Everything was going according to plan as the excavator operator worked on the left side of the condemned building, carefully slicing into the structure and picking pieces of it apart.
Around the 48 second mark in the video below is where everything goes wrong. As the excavator’s bucket makes contact with what used to be the third floor of the condemned building, a remaining portion of brick wall on the opposite side of the structure toppled over sideways and directly atop an adjacent rowhouse, immediately bringing most of the building’s second floor to the ground.
According to the Sun, the accidentally demolished rowhouse was “slated to be redeveloped by another owner.” Check out the video below.
Editor’s Note: The video below contains strong language.
