Old timer in Philly called me out on my governor rope tension

I was setting up a governor on a 400 fpm traction job and an old mechanic named Frank watched me for a minute. He said, 'Kid, you're pulling that rope way too tight, you'll wear the sheave in a year.' I always went by feel, but he showed me to use a spring scale and keep it at 25 pounds, no more. Has anyone else had a veteran correct a basic habit like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_adams5d ago

My foreman caught me over-torquing motor mounts for two years straight. He said the vibration cracks were from my wrench, not the machine. That kind of stuff sticks with you.

anthony1295d ago

How many times have you been doing something for years only to find out you were doing it wrong? I had a guy show me a better way to pack a pump bearing once, and I felt like I'd been using a rock as a hammer my whole career. Those old guys have forgotten more than we'll ever know, honestly. Frank probably saved you a ton of headache and an angry building owner down the line.

tara7935d ago

I mean, sometimes it's not that deep though. Like maybe you were over-torquing a bit, but was the machine actually failing? I've seen guys do stuff "wrong" for decades and the work holds up fine. Not every old tip is a life-or-death thing. Sometimes it's just a different way, not necessarily the only right way.