Empire Crane hosted a crane operator rodeo on July 19. The event was held at Empire’s main office at 7021 Performance Drive, Syracuse.

The MCM & CIC Crane Operator Rodeo, now in its third year, was developed by Maximum Capacity Media and Crane Institute Certification to underscore the need for safe crane operation. The regional qualifying crane operator’s rodeos are held in host cities across North America and the top two operators will advance to the national championship, which will take place at ConExpo in 2014.

Operators competed in an obstacle course showcasing their skills for the judges. Crane Institute designed the operator test course and contest standards, which includes placing the crane’s headache ball into barrels without landing the ball or hitting any barrels, maneuvering 55-gal. drums full of water through a barrel-lined obstacle course, and raising a 10-ft. (3 m) pipe laying on the ground to a vertical position then placing it between a set of cones. Each test was timed and monitored by the judges for load control, depth perception and accuracy.

Empire Crane held an open house in conjunction with the event, which featured a catered lunch and new cranes on display from manufacturers including Grove, Terex, Manitex, Crossover and Mantis.

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