NEW ROTATOR TRAINING PROGRAM Highlights Hands-On, Real-World Instruction

Jerr-Dan designs and manufactures top-of-the-line rotators, but the standard company philosophy has always been that proper operator training is just as important as world-class equipment. Jerr-Dan’s lead instructor, Richard Guttmann, is quick to point out that safety and productivity are both improved by in-depth training. The company opened its renovated training facility and updated its heavy duty rotator training program in late 2022. The training center features an outdoor hands-on training yard next door to a spacious, modern classroom facility.

One of the attendees, who has attended the Jerr-Dan rotator classes multiple times, said that he was really impressed with the new classroom part of the training facility. “It’s bright and sparkling white, and perfectly laid out as the kind of roomy classroom environment we need,” he said. “You guys did a phenomenal job of setting this up as a first-tier training center.”

Typically, six trainers, including two from Jerr-Dan’s engineering department, lead the classes. Classroom instruction includes an emphasis on “the math,” to quote attendees’ comments in post-training interviews.

“I’ve taught hundreds of operators in my career,” said one participant. “But I like how this class brought us all back to ‘the math,’ which is fundamental to proper rigging.”

All students are expected to be familiar with the equipment’s Operation and Safety Manual before attending the course. The classroom training itself is

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Available in 6 and 10 packs built around intensive sessions, accompanied by practice worksheets, that cover “the math”—how to calculate sling stress, tension factors, angle factors, and much more. Training is also provided in the use of Jerr-Dan’s new Tow Link™ app, which streamlines the process with a rigging calculator and a tow performance calculator.

No key subjects are skipped. The training includes units for Rigging, Wire Rope and Hooks, Use of a Load Chart, Platforms/Outriggers, Cribbing, Winches, Boom Loading, and Service and Maintenance.

The full curriculum sports the slogan “Training by operators, for operators.” Not only are several of the instructors veteran towers, but the overall training program was created by Richard Guttman, who served over 30 years as a wellrespected operator before joining the Jerr-Dan team.

Jerr-Dan also regularly polls its most experienced customers for advice and suggestions. The program evolves as each class builds on the previous one. One business owner, attending the course for the second time, commented on this continual improvement of the training program. “The changes I’ve seen since the previous class make it clear that the instructors obviously listened to our feedback and made changes to give us the info we need.”

A recent attendee commented on the helpful combination of making the calculations in the classroom and then going outside to the training yard to see those calculations applied in a real-world setting. That hands-on training seemed to be appreciated by all the students.

The training yard itself is presently composed of seven stations. The Platform station features a Jerr-Dan rotator parked on uneven ground, and an instructor demonstrates how to extend the outriggers properly to make a level and stable platform from which to work. Students are then allowed to

One student explained the experience this way: “We covered how to set up the rotator on a platform, how to stabilize it, and how to overcome difficult terrain features. What I’ve learned is that this outrigger platform makes it easy to overcome some significant terrain us indicators for when it’s safe to operate. This particular platform makes it easy to compensate for some pretty significant differences.”

One of his colleagues commented that “the biggest thing I notice is the stability. The platform is rock solid.”

The same basic process is repeated for all stations—a demo from a subject matter expert and then the student gets to practice what they just learned. The second station features a 360-degree pick of around 22,000 pounds. The third demonstrates two rotators working together to move a container safely between them. The next station shows the controlled roll of a cement mixer. Other hands-on stations include another pick and swing exercise, and a side winch demo complete with an explanation of the required rigging.

One attendee spoke for the majority when he said, “I like the hands-on experience because a lot of people, including myself, learn better and faster that way. You can tell me how to do something, but I’m not really going to remember it unless you put the remote in my hands and let me do it.”

Another student, responding to a question about the overall outdoors training yard, said, “I like the way the stations are set up now, they’re able to get everyone through all the stations, we’re given adequate time to ask questions and understand each particular exercise. Their platforms are very easy to manage. The remote control is great. I know that I will be able to use our truck better when I get back to work!”

Regular classes will be held beginning in May 2023. Contact marketing@jerrdan.com to learn more about attending the next rotator training class.

For more information, visit www.jerrdan.com.