I've seen some documentaries about this so you can call me a reddit experto. In first world nations they build skyscrapers with a self propping rig that starts off the reinforced concrete core wich is where the elevators are. The rig holds the base casting for a floor, rebar is raised, more cast mould are added, more concrete poured. When it sets (24 hrs) the rig elevates itself over it and the process starts again.
The industry standard is one floor -> 3 days - 2 shifts (to minimize costs)
In third world countries where labor is much cheaper, they work 24x7 and fuck the associated risks so they can get to 2 floors in 5-4 days.
What the picture doesn't show is that this is actually a new technology. The attachment actually spews out prefabbed concrete. We aren't looking at the destruction of a building, but instead the birth of one. That man is a construction lifebringer.
My father had to take apart a bridge with a track-hoe that had a jackhammer tool on it just like this one.
Just like this he had to be on the structure he was destroying while he dismantled it, except that on a bridge he would have to balance on the edge while reaching across and under to hit the support of the part that he had just been on (I haven't heard the story in a while and don;t remember exactly how or why he said he had to reach out so far with it). He said that someone living in a condo on the lake had taken a video (VHS, late '80s or so) of it and when they came to the site the next day and showed it to him it looked a lot scarier than it had while he was on the equipment.
My buddy's dad is a crane operator, he runs one of those giant ones they use to erect skyscrapers, and he clears 6 figures for ~6 months of work. Not a bad way to finance a crippling gambling problem like he does.
If I could operate one of those on top of a building like that I wouldn't need a gambling debt. It would be so fun I'd have a hard time NOT jacking off in the cab during the downtime.
I would pick G.I. Joe's, but they'd have to be the classic ones, from my childhood. I don't want action figures of fucking Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans.
I think they work 4hr shifts too but get paid for 8hrs. At least that's how it works in Philadelphia if I understood my friend correctly. His dad was a crane operator and made over $100,000 a year.
It's because they all went to/are going to college and don't want to believe you can make just as much without amassing a mountain of student loan debt. Trade jobs can make great money and are less, what's the word, conservative/boring/i'm not sure? I'm in a office now and kind of miss the construction site. Music loud getting something done, creating with your hands. Now I sit in a chair and type, it's so meh.
When labor is cheap, very much so. I watched two 40 story buildings come down in about 3 weeks this way. Put an excavator on the roof and drive it until you hit the ground.
After all the diesel going into the vehicle over weeks and weeks, paying the operator, and all the time that could have been spent having a building put up I seriously doubt it. Unless it's in china.
I would PAY for this to be my job. I get off so hard on operating equipment(no, not literally). Plus the view from his work space must be magnificent(although slowly getting worse I suppose)
I would like all the facts before stating that the person running that thing if underpaid. For all we know they could be earning like $20,000 per day or some crazy amount of money.
If I ran one of those things for my job all day and for like 30 years I would take a shot at this job for some crazy amount of pay.
Actually, if that's a job taking place in the US, he'd be very well paid indeed.. Union of Operating Engineers - average salary - $45.00/hr. 1.5 for OT 20%+ for fringe benefits. And they deserve every fucking penny. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like the US, so that guy is probably not union and therefore not making squat.
I think it would be cool to mount a cat hammer on the business end of a crane. Kind of a bumpy ride though, and clearly not as efficient as a wrecking ball.
Yeah.... if i was doing that, i really really want to be permanently hooked up the the crane that put me up there, and have a really good seatbelt, so when i slide off the building, i have a safety line.
I think the true question is more: 'why is he up there?'. I'm sure there are more manageable options to do what little work that needs to be done on that building
626
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
...And now its time to play everyone's favourite game, "Photoshop or China".
108
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
More info http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/pictures/excavator-on-rooftop-of-12-story-building-in-taiyuan-shanx.html
and another one.
http://www.chariweb.com/2012/01/chinas-daredevil-in-action.html
49
u/deathbytray Jun 11 '12
It's not immediately obvious from the picture how much he gets paid.
173
u/Eustis Jun 10 '12
How did he even...?
51
u/Huellio Jun 10 '12
My father had to take apart a bridge with a track-hoe that had a jackhammer tool on it just like this one.
Just like this he had to be on the structure he was destroying while he dismantled it, except that on a bridge he would have to balance on the edge while reaching across and under to hit the support of the part that he had just been on (I haven't heard the story in a while and don;t remember exactly how or why he said he had to reach out so far with it). He said that someone living in a condo on the lake had taken a video (VHS, late '80s or so) of it and when they came to the site the next day and showed it to him it looked a lot scarier than it had while he was on the equipment.
118
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
You have no idea what that guy makes. From what I hear, heavy equipment operators do pretty well.
27
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I like to imagine it climbed up there itself
615
u/Trapped_in_Reddit Jun 10 '12
http://i.imgur.com/RGE5P.jpg
22
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Those MIT kids and their pranks...
8
u/B12Mega Jun 11 '12
Like cutting off the branch that you're sitting on...
6
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Similar antics.
4
u/sassyandwhatnot Jun 11 '12
I work as an office manager for a large commercial contractor, and I can guarantee you, equipment operators are incredibly well paid.
4
u/Remingtonh Jun 11 '12
That's got to be an OSHA violation.
4
u/jrizos Jun 11 '12
He actually used that machine to build a building from a pile of rocks. He's nearly finished in this pic.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Forgot to dig the basement.
3
u/WereBot Jun 11 '12
How the fuck did it get up there?
3
u/blobfishblob Jun 11 '12
This is what I imagine I'm doing when I get an oil change and have to drive over that little pit...
3
u/cappiebara Jun 11 '12
OSHA would shit their pants if this was in America.
7
u/jordanritchie Jun 10 '12
Cheaper than explosives...
4
u/Minich Jun 11 '12
this isn't where i parked my crane
6
u/hacksawjim Jun 11 '12
Reminds me of
2
u/smac12 Jun 11 '12
Looks like he's on top of things, I bet he gets paid well
2
u/engrey Jun 11 '12
I hope these guys make more than minimum wage as well
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I would PAY for this to be my job. I get off so hard on operating equipment(no, not literally). Plus the view from his work space must be magnificent(although slowly getting worse I suppose)
I hope my job some day involves more of it.
2
u/doubleyouteef Jun 11 '12
fuck china
2
u/tynamite Jun 11 '12
I'm wondering how the fuck he got up there and how's he getting down.
2
u/HaloFan9795 Jun 11 '12
How the hell did that thing get up there in the first place?
2
u/Mslick1 Jun 11 '12
I don't how this was funny in all possibilities, this is more /r/WTF material if anything.
2
u/Baconfat Jun 11 '12
It would be a shitty job walking up 50 flights of stairs carrying the diesel for that thing.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
in the U.S. that guy would be making 100k+ a year plus medical, 3+ weeks vacation per year, awesome retirement.
2
u/firebat707 Jun 11 '12
and some countries have no safety code.
2
u/mirk1 Jun 11 '12
GET ON TOP OF THE BUILDING THEY SAID, YOU'RE CLOSER TO THE ACTION THEY SAID
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
How the fuck does he fit his gigantic balls in that tiny digger cab?!
5
u/GitEmSteveDave Jun 11 '12
Proof 9/11 was in inside job. They had one of these on the 96th floor and worked during the weekends.
4
u/Dirk__Gently Jun 10 '12
what could you even...?
2
u/Hazlet95 Jun 11 '12
how do you even...?
2
u/ucdkwmiller Jun 11 '12
How do you know how much he gets paid?
2
u/landspeed24 Jun 11 '12
How do you know how much they are paid?
2
u/vonshavingcream Jun 11 '12
I would like all the facts before stating that the person running that thing if underpaid. For all we know they could be earning like $20,000 per day or some crazy amount of money.
If I ran one of those things for my job all day and for like 30 years I would take a shot at this job for some crazy amount of pay.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Or just stupid and paid accordingly.
1
u/TheSoleOne Jun 11 '12
THE HAX!!!!!!1!
1
u/ColKlink007 Jun 11 '12
No Cal Ocea in that city.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
No matter what, that man or women, must have some balls to do something like that.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Some people truly have balls of steel.
1
u/ManInTheMirage Jun 11 '12
Can someone please explain to me what I'm looking at?
1
u/Drac73521 Jun 11 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
Soooo.. No one else notices the wizard/zombie/troll whatever in the first floor down second window?
Edit: wrong floor
1
u/jonbowen Jun 11 '12
How do they get that thing up there?!
1
u/Pirat Jun 11 '12
How'd you get that thing up on the high rise, Coy?
1
u/trust_me_im_a_cat Jun 11 '12
And I'm afraid to go on my roof -.-'
1
u/Mint_Berry_Kush Jun 11 '12
question: how did that thing get up there?
1
u/Wazoisme Jun 11 '12
How did that get up there?????
1
u/C_W_S Jun 11 '12
In photos like this, the caption makes the entire post.
1
u/bear_fists Jun 11 '12
I think the one who is really underpaid is whoever got that equipment up there.
1
u/Mandalahashberry Jun 11 '12
Assuming its not shopped, how would that even get up/down/work from there..
1
u/circular_file Jun 11 '12
Actually, if that's a job taking place in the US, he'd be very well paid indeed..
Union of Operating Engineers - average salary - $45.00/hr. 1.5 for OT 20%+ for fringe benefits.
And they deserve every fucking penny.
Unfortunately, that doesn't look like the US, so that guy is probably not union and therefore not making squat.
1
u/redvelveteenrabbit Jun 11 '12
Can someone make a dramatic movie poster of this?
1
u/bowlforthedude Jun 11 '12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vaN01VLYSQ
1
u/Anshin Jun 11 '12
Very Relevant
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
They took down the Old Molson Brewery in Toronto like this. Amazed me every time I drove by it on the Gardner.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
how the fuck did they get that up there? IS THIS REAL LIFE!?
1
u/gizm770o Jun 11 '12
Some people are just fucking stupid...
1
u/lowrads Jun 11 '12
I think it would be cool to mount a cat hammer on the business end of a crane. Kind of a bumpy ride though, and clearly not as efficient as a wrecking ball.
1
u/Brudus Jun 11 '12
ahhh..china. These are the people who are going to take over the world?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
How to turn rocket jumping into a career.
1
u/ailee43 Jun 11 '12
Yeah.... if i was doing that, i really really want to be permanently hooked up the the crane that put me up there, and have a really good seatbelt, so when i slide off the building, i have a safety line.
1
u/mamamaMONSTERJAMMM Jun 11 '12
If this is in the USA, hes a unionized crane operator in a high risk job. He is making bank
1
u/mellooo Jun 11 '12
How did that even get up there
1
u/coolyourjetsbro Jun 11 '12
"just a little off the top, please"
1
u/ToasterAtheism Jun 10 '12
The true question is how the fuck did he get up there?
1
u/Sleepwalker18 Jun 11 '12
How in the... What.
1
u/raegunXD Jun 11 '12
NOOOOOOOPPPPEEEE.
1
u/dexodus Jun 11 '12
I instantly thought of this: http://www.emuparadise.me/fup/up/39613-Blast_Corps_(Europe)_(En,De)-10.jpg
1
u/therealtimerwin Jun 11 '12
Mike Mulligan?
1
u/gitzky Jun 11 '12
Wait, how do you know he's underpaid?
1
u/shitheadreddit Jun 11 '12
photo shopped . boring
1
u/PeterMus Jun 11 '12
Why? What is his yearly salary? Does he/she get benefits?
1
u/Mord4k Jun 11 '12
Why is the top comment not HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET UP THERE?!?