Mad Scientist

Nice sign but I would have left the 18 amp part out of the picture if connecting to a 20 amp breaker. 16 would be your limit correct?

Or you can just wait for the fast food chains to raise the minimum wage to $15 and just know how to pull a burger out of a microwave and overcook fries. I can see why sign companies are short handed. Worked for a sign company once that even after proving all the skills they needed and then some, wanted us road guys all to get CDL licenses. When asked how much more per hour the job will then pay for the extra hastle, was told you will be allowed to keep your job.

You need to contact the crane manufacturer to see if they can provide user installable kits. Some do. If yours doesn't then sell it and call a crane guy who is certified and pay by the hour until you figure it out. I pay a few hundred bucks and a giant crane I could never afford comes out for a few hundred bucks. No maintenance, insurance etc. If you do a lot of crane work then find a lighter load rating truck or get certified since this kicked into effect Feb. 7.

Wilkie and Elliott are lowering their capacity ratings to a maximum of 1950 lbs. regardless of the feather you are lifting because they are adjusting to the the hassle of sign companies training people who then quit and move on. If you operate a crane that lifts over 2001 lbs. get certified by a federally approved outfit to avoid OSHA problems especially if something goes wrong. Noticed the price of heavy lifting cranes dropping on the web.

One way to look at it is that you are not as hard up as the illegal sign co. and you are doing the owner a favor by pointing out what it takes to do it the right way. If I were the owner I can get over the bad news but am not left holding the illegal bag so to speak. Additionally the customer who has the $$$ to do it the right way is the customer you are looking for. I don't need the cheapskate and his friends calling me for free consultations because the bottom line is cheap or free.

Or don't sell monument signs if it seems like a hassle. Installing them without permits simply sounds like you don't give a damn except for making money off the customer. He can just buy another one when he gets popped for the illegal one. The reason they apply the pressure on the sign company is because if it weren't for the Sign and you making a profit on it, the other two (landscaping and electric circuit to the spot) wouldn't be needed. If customer can't afford the landscape architect, bushes, irrigation and electric line then he has high hopes for a broke ass budget. I know, but you still want your sign money. The increasingly large number of sign companies line..... just sounds like a "lemming" story or fake news born from sign builders who don't care about the pesky issues of getting sign permits for proper installs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jChO41M8SI&t=315s Not sure how they collected all these sign fails but thanks for the laughs.

Many towns now require landscaping and irrigation plans from a landscape architect (specifically for the monument sign) along with the plans for the monument sign before zoning will approve sign. Nobody said sign company has to pay for it, that is part of the conditions portion of your contract where you point out the extras they will need to pay for additionally like the City Fees for review and inspections.

This is right up there with channel letters being split up badly or on purpose. Like a Sunglass Hut I serviced that got written up for lewd message violation by City. "ass Hut" that only sells sunglasses when transformer out on half of sign.

That is some genuine sign wisdom Dave and you're absolutely right. Thing is we already made the move to Florida years ago to set up shop for retirement, already did all the traveling we need to do. I would be bored if I just sat around like most of the retirees that move down here with nothing to do but wait. Thing is that we enjoy the creativity signs provide along with the wow factor on some projects, don't do nationals. If you have hydraulics and the proper platform you can easily stay in signs way past retirement, if I do hit the numbers the boat would get bigger.

I can't believe you still have it either. Spent about 5 years and got spoiled on an exact duplicate of this truck. Wish I had the extra cash laying around or you already would have watched me drive off with it Dave. Playing extra numbers to get it though. Hope you still have it if I hit.

Hate to say it guys but thinking like you are a snitch or rat is why these assholes are taking your work. Enforcement starts with the ligit sign companies. If you don't call it in because you're a p_____, that is why they are everywhere. Cities are not set up to bust balls because there isn't a budget for it. Code compliance for example just needs a complaint filed and they will be happy to investigate. Morons that install signs without permits look next door to see what the criteria is and then proceed to do it wrong because they are just copying the other illegal. Stores would pay a dogcatcher to fix their sign if he was cheap enough.

You will hear enforcement stories from whoever gets caught without it after an incident occurs, especially one with injuries. That is when I would worry if you were required to have it.

Sounds like our southern border James. Once you sneak it in, it's in, for a while. That is because there is no budget for enforcement, you as the sign company is who they expect to enforce these rules. They mostly enforce stupid little real estate signs on wire frames out of a pick up truck, banners and feather banners. Luckily property managers want permits and most stay on top of it to some extent. As soon as a business needs to add a partner or adjust their lease, bang. You just got popped. If you are spending north of a few thousand dollars for a sign, the permit is not that much more to do it the right way. Some just like to pay twice.

If you are looking for those exact words you will not find the answer. When you submit your drawings for permitting and are denied because corrections are needed, that is how we find out something has changed. In our neck of the woods. If you simply bang out signs to ship out to others, you will find out in other ways. We remove them as soon as signs ship in and plug the hole. Maybe the attached can help you understand.

May be my photo but certainly not my work Bob. The way these morons installed that switch would be equivalent to hooking the switch up to the GTO in a neon letter. But their way of thinking was that from the ground it would pass inspection which it did not. Inspectors have a way of sniffing out sign companies using cheezy paperwork also. A lift was requested by the inspector to verify, cricket noises were heard for 2 years before landlord warned tenant to get on it.

All I can say is ata boy uncle Donnie. My inspectors are bitching about having too many inspections on their daily schedule, property managers are filling up their centers and when I ask why? Its always the same story, thanks Mr T.

We had an inspection in a town nearby that doesn't allow switches on front wall but electrical inspectors accept lockout on back of wall or at circuit breaker, both clearly out of sight. Using 2014 Code around here in S Florida. Additional note from inspection yesterday with an elder inspector, since I generally try to pick their mind while I have their attention for few minutes. His opinion for why the toggle switches were phased out from being attached to metal, they don't stand up to weather as good as most would like to think.

Another winner. Keeps us busy, following so called sign companies who I'm sure "think" they know what they are doing except for calling in their inspections. Owner of the sign gets to pay for change of contractor and all the repairs to bring sign up to code. Wondering if the toggle switch pictured below is part of the reason why the Code changed for the use of these on letters. Another popular problem is the use of non-metalic liquidtitght (cheaper of course but obvious to inspectors as being a fail) AND no ground wire. Bonding? What's that? Morons faking sign installs/customer paying through butt to satisfy shopping center open permits which never get called in for inspections. Wonder why?

No more toggle switches allowed on individual channel letters or sign cabinets. First thing electrical inspector looks at, assuming you pulled a permit for your sign installation. No energized wiring passing through sign bodies towards the switch. Towns that do not allow switch box, Bell box etc. on fascia will require lockout means behind the wall or at circuit breaker. Lockout plate which fits over a toggle switch will see rise in sales.

Interesting that almost 5 days after your post not a single response to the major change in the NEC since January regarding switches and sign bodies.

I agree with Keith. Changing out the transformer down the road would be a lot easier and it wouldn't rot in the moisture at the bottom.

Nobody will snap any wrists on my watch, ladder or bucket truck. Damn paddle bits just wont drill through stucco over plywood (note other drill on ladder with bit). I could have given her the stubby bit but then winter just wouldn't hurt. Plus I use that drill all the time due to its light weight and rebar sucks but clutch is there for a reason.

Winter sucks. Sometimes we have to break out the long sleeve t-shirts and snowbirds are everywhere.

Try Tony at Electric Time Co, they've been around since 1928.