Biggest screw-up I had on a 100-ton crawler last spring

I was working a job in Portland, setting steel beams for a new parking structure. The load chart said 85 feet radius was fine, but I didn't double check the ground conditions after that rain we had the night before. On the third pick, the outrigger sank about 6 inches into the mud and the whole crane tilted maybe 3 degrees. I set the load down slow, cribbed up with some 4x12 planks I had in the truck, and finished the day without another issue. Has anyone else dealt with soft ground where the load chart doesn't account for it?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronb522d ago

Yeah, ground prep is half the battle nobody talks about.

dakotacraig2d ago

Half the battle? Man, try 90 percent. Last job I took, client swore the slab was level. Showed up and it was off by nearly an inch in places. Had to spend a whole day just grinding low spots.