Old timer told me to stop riding the brake, saved my rotator cuff

Been running a 100 ton Liebherr on a high-rise job in Charlotte for about 8 months now. Always used my left hand to feather the swing brake on every pick, thought it gave me better control. A retired guy named Pete watched me for 20 minutes on a lunch break and said, 'You're fighting the machine, let the swing do the work and only tap the brake at the end.' I switched to letting the boom settle naturally and only using the brake for the final 10 degrees of rotation. My shoulder stopped aching by the end of the week and my cycle times got quicker. Felt dumb it took that long, but has anyone else had a habit that an older hand broke for you?

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avery7213d ago

Left hand on the brake is backwards anyway. Right side is the control side.