Outrigger Pads

support equipment loads and pressures should be replaced. It’ s important to use the materials only for their intended purpose, as overloading, misuse or abuse can negatively impact safety and significantly reduce their lifespan.

For wood products, including timbers, mats, or pads, life expectancy is influenced by the species of wood and its exposure to water, humidity, UV and insects. Since wood is prone to rot, especially during storage, care should be taken to separate all wood products with cribbing and avoid stacking them directly on top of one another.

Specific inspection criteria vary based on the material type. When using metal, look for bent structural components, punctures or ruptures, signs of crushing, weld damage, cracks and any evidence of corrosion, rust or pitting. Wood should be checked for cracks, checking, shakes, splits, high moisture content, chemical damage, rot, and bent, broken or missing throughbolts. Synthetics need to be inspected for cracks, fractures, permanent deformation or signs of crushing.

Steiner: Best practices to ensure long service life of pads include proper storage, correct pad sizing, proper handles and informed setup. Proper storage is especially important for wood pads. Leaving them outside makes the pads vulnerable to rain and the elements, potentially impacting their effectiveness and creating a shorter lifespan. Regardless of material, pads need to be monitored proactively, making sure there are no cracks, breaks or excessive deflection / bending every time a pad is used.

Range of Products

DICA EcoMax crane pads combine alternating solid composite timbers and steel I-beams connected with throughbolts for maximum load distribution. The I-beam flanges create a connection with the composite timbers. This, and the strategic placement of the through-bolts ensures maximum load distribution and minimizes ground bearing pressures.

EcoMax crane pads were developed as a lower cost option to steel and the company’ s FiberMax crane pads. They are

designed for use with mobile and self-erecting tower cranes. The pads are available in sizes ranging from 20 to 40 square feet with maximum rated capacities of 175,000 pounds to 325,000 pounds, respectively.

DICA FiberMax crane pads provide similar strength and stiffness characteristics as steel crane mats but weigh up to 60 % less for lower transportation costs and faster setup and tear down times. The pads, designed to support and stabilize mobile cranes up to 500 tons, have crush ratings up to 1,000 PSI and 400,000-pound rated capacities.

Made from Fiber Reinforced Polymer( FRP), FiberMax composite crane pads are not affected by fluids, chemicals or UV, and will not rust, rot or degrade in extreme hot, cold or maritime environments.

DICA EcoMax and FiberMax crane pads are nonabsorbent, easy to clean and eliminate site to site contamination.

New from DICA for cranes and boom trucks is the company’ s LevelRight solution that allows users to adjust the overall angle from 0-10 degrees and in two planes up to 5 degrees. The 24-inch diameter LevelRight