Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Today is all about the falling derrick - getting the geometry right before we even think about lifting anything serious. If this bit’s wrong, the whole thing will go sideways… literally. This is where the real work starts.
I’m working with a 3-guy system here, which isn’t ideal for raising a mast, so I’ve introduced what I call “orphan guys”, these are temporary lines to stabilise everything and simulate a 4-guy setup during the lift.
There’s a fair bit going on:
Setting accurate geometry (yes, I get a bit pedantic…)
Installing temporary anchors
Building and testing the falling derrick
Reusing whatever I’ve got lying around
A small test lift to see if the theory holds
This is very much a proof-of-concept day - light loads, lots of adjustments, and making sure the system behaves before committing to the full 12m build.
The last attempt didn’t go to plan… so this is take two, done properly.
Next time, we go for it!
00:00 Plan for Mast #2
01:20 Marking out the geometry
03:00 Anchors and derrick setup
06:00 Fabrication and drilling
10:45 First test configuration
13:30 Adjusting lines and “orphan guys”
18:10 Test lift
19:15 Wrap-up
Today is all about the falling derrick - getting the geometry right before we even think about lifting anything serious. If this bit’s wrong, the whole thing will go sideways… literally. This is where the real work starts.
I’m working with a 3-guy system here, which isn’t ideal for raising a mast, so I’ve introduced what I call “orphan guys”, these are temporary lines to stabilise everything and simulate a 4-guy setup during the lift.
There’s a fair bit going on:
Setting accurate geometry (yes, I get a bit pedantic…)
Installing temporary anchors
Building and testing the falling derrick
Reusing whatever I’ve got lying around
A small test lift to see if the theory holds
This is very much a proof-of-concept day - light loads, lots of adjustments, and making sure the system behaves before committing to the full 12m build.
The last attempt didn’t go to plan… so this is take two, done properly.
Next time, we go for it!
00:00 Plan for Mast #2
01:20 Marking out the geometry
03:00 Anchors and derrick setup
06:00 Fabrication and drilling
10:45 First test configuration
13:30 Adjusting lines and “orphan guys”
18:10 Test lift
19:15 Wrap-up
