I was setting my crane up wrong for years until a job in Tacoma last month

I always eyeballed my outrigger pads, thinking if the ground felt solid it was fine. On a site in Tacoma, my load chart was off by a good 5% on a 150-foot pick. The site foreman, a guy named Carl, pointed out a slight dip in my pad on the starboard side I hadn't even seen. How many of you actually use a level on EVERY pad before you even think about making a lift?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_murray2mo ago

Yeah, that 5% is no joke on a tall pick. I get where @grant569 is coming from with the level, but you really need a grade rod or a laser for the pad itself, not just the crane. A level on the crane tells you if the machine is plumb, but it won't catch a soft spot under the pad like that dip in Tacoma. You can have a perfectly level crane sitting on a pad that's sinking. I pack a small torpedo level to check the pad is flat before it even touches the ground.

the_ben5d ago

Reminds me of a job up in Bellingham a few years back. Whole crew spent an hour setting up a pad that looked perfect by eye, laser level said it was within a quarter inch. Crawler sat on it fine for the first half of the pick, then we noticed the outrigger pads were starting to tilt. Turned out there was a layer of old bark dust under the gravel we didnt see. That torpedo level on the pad idea sounds like a good habit, might have saved us a couple of tense minutes.

grant5692mo ago

Man, I was the same way for the longest time. That kind of story is exactly why I finally bought a decent level and actually use it now. Just not worth the risk.

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