Hey, I live in the Bay Area and have been very interested in climbing cranes. I am a rock climber and have rope and lots of other safety equipment in that area. I am familiar with urban climbing. However, I still feel completely unsure, and I am completely aware of the dangers and consequences that I may face if anything happens. Tips? Thanks.

Remember that a worker likely climbs that same crane every day. If you can overlook the lethal heights, I find crane ladders among the safest around, because they're well maintained and serviced before any serious failures can occur. I've never seen a broken or loose rung on a ladder, and cranes don't sway in the wind in my experience (they may rotate a little at the top).

The only injuries likely to occur are hitting your head or slipping and falling. Electricity is provided to the crane by a huge thick black cable that seems totally insulated, and would be impossible for anyone to avoid while climbing up.

I used to wear a helmet, but gradually stopped bothering. I've also used gloves, but didn't feel any advantage for using them. Leather gloves made it a little harder to get a solid grip. The best thing I found were worker's gloves with sticky palms, but unless you have to worry about the cold, bare hands still seem best.

Posted by Steed

I was also thinking about climbing cranes and was wondering about security. What kind of security do you have to worry about? Cameras, Guards? I doubt cameras but hey you never know.

Posted by IFreeClimb I was also thinking about climbing cranes and was wondering about security. What kind of security do you have to worry about? Cameras, Guards? I doubt cameras but hey you never know.

Many jobsites have wide viewing angle webcams as made obvious from fairly commonly live view time lapse that shows construction progress. It's expected that same video with higher frame rate is likely recorded for security purposes. Manned mobile office is also rather common.

Many big construction sites will have a security guard stationed to protect the expensive machinery and building materials.

Also a lot of times cranes (especially here in the UK) have a tall wooden hoarding fence around the base with a locked door in it to allow access for the crane operator. I've only seen a few that don't have this security feature installed.

Also the hatch at the top of the ladder might be locked.

If you attempt it on a cold night don't forget to factor in the freezing cold metal rungs and the numbing effect they have on your hands.

Oh and don't fall off.

I usually try to hit cranes when there's no security on duty. I've only discovered I wasn't alone once, and by the time he saw me I was already down, a kilometer away and on my way to the exit point.

Oh yeah, it should also be mentioned that cranes can be a little greasy. I doubt you'd be slipping on it, but expect weird dark stains on all clothing.

Posted by mookster Also a lot of times cranes (especially here in the UK) have a tall wooden hoarding fence around the base with a locked door in it to allow access for the crane operator. I've only seen a few that don't have this security feature installed.

I've seen something like this a few times, though it's more of a metal cage around the base of the crane. A climbable metal cage.

As long as you aren't being stupid, climbing cranes is pretty safe. Using gloves can be a good idea, near the top things can get a bit greasy and it's not fun getting that stuff on your hands. Because of the grease I also wear clothes that I don't care about if it gets on them.

Posted by Steed I've seen something like this a few times, though it's more of a metal cage around the base of the crane. A climbable metal cage.

I'd much rather have that than a sheer wooden hoarding!

How serious is it to get caught climbing a crane? Have you guys ever been caught?

Posted by IFreeClimb How serious is it to get caught climbing a crane? Have you guys ever been caught?

Don't go in a huge group and don't be stupid drunk. I bet these guys were being stupid and talking to each other loud as hell and it bruised the security company and developer's ego that some drunk kids trumped them.

http://www.metrone...rane-climbers.html

http://globalnews....-north-vancouver/f

There used to be a crane by me that my friends and I climbed 3 times. The first time we could breeze right up. There was no security to speak of, just a trailer with lights on, but it seemed empty. The second and third times there was a latch at the very top of the ladder that was chained shut. Circumventing this for us was pretty easy. The area right under the latch extended outside the crane a foot and a half or so, so it was relatively safe to climb with a spotter. If you're not that lucky, you could always tie in with a harness, slings, carabiners ect.

Basically: you won't know until you get up there. Bring light safety equipment just in case.

Or binoculars.

Also: someone mentioned gloves and said they didn't like them that much. I think it's a good idea to have some. Depending on where you are, crane ladders can be cold, and they are always dirty. They're not a necessity, but they certainly are nice.

Don't forget about MOTION ALARMS! I've only seen them twice around sites and I believe one of the times was because the construction company had caught on to climbers. You should do your best to keep an eye out for them, but they can be hard to spot. There are probably a few threads around here if you need more info.

Also, trespassing is generally taken much more seriously at active construction sites. Be sure to know your locals laws so you know what you're getting yourself into.

Climbing cranes tends to be not as intense as people think. It's getting caught you need to be worried about more than falling. I've never actually been caught on a crane myself, and I've done some pretty massive ones (712 feet being the biggest) but I've had a few pretty close calls and I've heard some bad stories. Of course it highly depends on the type of construction site you're at. Really tall skyscrapers tend to have 24 hour security. Sometimes they even have construction work running 24 hours. But public holidays are a good opportunity for these.

But I'd start with smaller ones first. Like the kind you'd find on a college campus, not a downtown area.

You probably already know this, but just to clarify, we're all talking about tower cranes, not boom cranes (Google image search it if you don't know the difference). Boom cranes are a whole different story. They're much more dangerous to climb, and generally not tall enough to be worth it to climb.

You'll find LOTS more good information about climbing cranes under the "Cranes" heading here:
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=118368

Posted by DJ Craig

Really helpful thanks =)

Do a crane kick while you're up there.

I was stunned to find a huge crane at a local construction site that appeared accessible. I went at 11 p.m. and sure enough, all I had to do was climb over a 3 or 4 foot flexible orange "fence" and walk right up to the base. Bingo!
I don't know if I was tired or inattentive but I tripped twice on my way to it, lots of ruts in the dirt from heavy equipment. I was a little hesitant but decided WTF and started climbing. It was quite windy but nothing that was going to blow me off the thing. About 8 feet below the tippy top was the major platform and crane operator's control room, that's as far as I went. I spent several hours taking photographs and climbed back down easily. Second trip, the next evening, I took gloves as the rungs were a little rough on my hands.
Now for the interesting part: I thought this was construction for a new medical complex but when I returned the next day to take photos in the daytime, I discovered it's the new Public Safety/Police Department for my city.
My evening photography leaves much to be desired but I'll post some pics anyway.

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Basically, it's not the physical aspect you should worry about so much as the getting caught aspect. Major cities usually have pretty good protection around their cranes but sometimes ya get lucky.

It's always been my dream to climb a crane but I've always been hesitant when the opportunity arose... Apparently I suck lol

Yeah, I wouldn't want to unless I had a climbing harness

Yeah, I wouldn't want to unless I had a climbing harness

-double post, please delete?-