Crane Certification Prep for Tavares and the Harris Chain

Shoreline lifts are their own discipline

Around 2010 Tavares redeveloped its waterfront with an $8.4 million package that rebuilt Wooton Park, added an 88-slip marina and created the seaplane base. Projects like that, and the private docks, boathouses and seawalls that line the Harris Chain, put cranes right at the water's edge. A seaplane manufacturing operation in the city adds occasional heavy picks for airframes and components.

The ground at the edge of a lake is rarely what it looks like. Sand near the shore is often saturated, seawalls may not be built to carry an outrigger load behind them, and fill placed during past projects can be uneven. Good practice is to keep outriggers back from the wall, spread loads with mats, and confirm soil conditions with whoever owns the site. When the crane works from a barge, the stability problem changes completely, and list and trim become part of the lift plan.

Wind and weather off the water

Open lakes let wind build without obstruction, so a lift that would be easy in a sheltered subdivision can push the limits of the manufacturer's wind chart on the shore of Lake Dora. Boat hulls and dock sections have large flat surfaces that catch wind, which matters for both swing control and capacity. Tag lines and an experienced signal person are worth more here than on many inland jobs.

Central Florida's summer thunderstorms are the other limiting factor. The National Weather Service notes that about 90 percent of the region's lightning strikes come from May through October between noon and midnight, so a morning start is the simplest protection.

Which course fits a lakefront crew

• Mobile crane operator for hydraulic cranes setting docks, boats and building materials
• Rigger Level I for crews handling hulls and odd-shaped loads where sling choice and center of gravity matter
• Signal person for directing lifts when the operator cannot see the load over a seawall or roofline
• Articulating crane operator for knuckle-boom deliveries of lumber, trusses and pilings to waterfront homes

Getting certified from Tavares

The process is the same here as anywhere in the country. You prepare for the written exam online, at your own pace and on whatever device you have. NCCCO written exams can be taken through online proctoring, at a test center or at a test event. The practical exam is a separate hands-on test on a crane at a practical test site, booked through the certifying body; plan the trip toward the Orlando area or another regional site, since Tavares is less than an hour northwest of Orlando.

Neither Tavares, Lake County nor the State of Florida licenses crane operators. Federal OSHA requires accredited certification and an employer evaluation, as laid out in our Florida requirements guide. For countywide growth, roads and soil conditions, see the Lake County page.