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Wrecking ball crane swinging a steel ball into an old building while a worker signals from the ground. A detailed page, free as a PDF.
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Download PDFPrintCrawler crane with a lattice boom, chain and steel ball breaking a wall, falling bricks, rubble and a worker in a hard hat and vest.
Make the ball dark gray with a white shine so it looks like metal.
Write down the hand signals you would use to tell the operator to stop.
A wrecking ball is usually solid steel, not hollow.
A wrecking ball crane is one of the most famous demolition tools, even though you rarely see one today. The idea is simple: a crane lifts a very heavy steel ball and swings or drops it into a building, which cracks apart from the force of the blow.
It became common in the first half of the 1900s, when American cities were booming and old buildings had to make way for new ones. Lattice-boom cranes, built from crisscrossed steel bars, were light yet strong, perfect for carrying the ball.
Running one takes real skill. The operator has to time the swing to hit exactly the right spot without the ball bouncing back or spinning wildly. A miss can even throw the crane off balance. That is why a worker on the ground guides the operator with signals and keeps everyone well back.
Over time, excavators with hydraulic hammers and shears have mostly replaced it, because they work with more precision, less noise and less dust. Still, the wrecking ball shows up on some extra-tough structures, and it remains a pop culture symbol of tearing things down.
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