DICA has released a new resource on its website to help users better assess and understand ultimate soil strengths and allowable ground bearing pressures. Before setting up a crane or other equipment with outriggers, it’s essential to evaluate the ground conditions to properly position the equipment and to use appropriate pads (area, strength and stiffness) to keep the equipment upright. Knowing the strength of the ground helps planners and operators identify the pad area needed to reduce bearing pressures to levels the ground can withstand.

“Undersized outrigger pads create risk and can lead to unstable conditions. However, oversized pads increase weight, product cost, and ongoing transportation costs. DICA uses its Everyday Fitting Process to help owners and users determine and define assumptions, which results in identifying the right outrigger pad or support system that aligns with their needs,” said Kris Koberg, CEO of DICA.

The resource page, Determining Your Soil Bearing Capacity, defines important terms like Ultimate Bearing Capacity and Allowable Ground Bearing Pressure. It also includes a Soil Bearing Capacity Chart that outlines the Ground Type and Density of State to determine the Ultimate Ground Bearing Capacity and the Allowable Ground Bearing Capacity.

Also included on this resource page are best practices to determine soil bearing capacity, tips for equipment-specific planning, and lift-specific planning. Determining Your Soil Bearing Capacity is one of a dozen resources available on the DICA website. Others include 10 Tips for Safe Crane Setups, Crane Pad and Outrigger Pad Sizing Graph, a deep dive into the difference between Stiffness vs. Strength in Outrigger Pad Selection, and more. Find all of DICA’s available resources under the Resources tab on the website.