Overheard a new guy talking about his first solo lift in Tacoma

I was grabbing coffee before a job and heard a young operator, maybe 22, telling his buddy about setting a 5-ton HVAC unit on a roof downtown last week. He said his spotter gave him a quiet 'looks good from here' over the radio and it just clicked for him. It made me remember that feeling of everything finally lining up after all the training. What was the first lift that made you feel like you really had it?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola_cooper621mo ago

Wait, a 5-ton unit on a downtown roof for his first solo? That's wild. My first solo was a little 2-ton condenser in a wide open backyard, and I was still sweating bullets. Downtown Tacoma with all those wires and tight spots? That kid either has ice in his veins or he's not telling the whole story lol.

noahward1mo ago

Downtown Tacoma rooftops aren't as bad as they sound if you've prepped right. Some of those old buildings have decent roof access and flat gravel tops. A 5-ton unit is big, but with a good crane operator and a foreman who walked him through the plan, it's totally doable for a first solo. The kid probably had more help than he's letting on, but that's just smart, not a lie.