December 15, 2021 (Guthrie Center, Iowa) In crane operations, we usually assume the crane is doing all the heavy lifting. However, one of the leading causes of workman’s comp claims each year are caused by lifting heavy and awkward items such as outrigger pads and cribbing.
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Manual lifting tasks for crane setup often includes handling outrigger pads, crane pads, cribbing, rigging, and tools. During crane setup, risks might include exerting excessive force, working in awkward postures, or exposing hands to being pinched or caught between items.
DICA® designs its products with positive ergonomic features, to minimize both the weight of its products, and the amount of lifting necessary when using them. DICA’s SafetyTech® Outrigger Pads have received six patents in the U.S. and Canada for the ergonomic features of its pad and handle combinations.
Engineered thermoplastic SafetyTech Outrigger Pads are not porous, they will not absorb water or any chemicals, and they will not splinter or break under stress. TuffGrip® Handles and round pad shapes, allow for DICA’s ergonomic crane pads to be easily lifted, slid, or rolled into place, reducing the potential for injuries to occur.
Protecting hands and encouraging proper lifting techniques and weights were primary objectives for DICA when developing its TuffGrip® Handle System. TuffGrip Handles are larger in diameter and made from comfortable yet strong and flexible engineered thermoplastic material. DICA’s patented handles help reduce finger pinching and hand fatigue from placing and carrying the pads. In addition, the recessed TuffGrip Handles on round SafetyTech Outrigger Pads don’t extend beyond the perimeter of the pads edge. This design allows for safe and easy rolling of the pads. This design gives the operator the option of not carrying the pad at all.
Authors: Greenfield Products Digital Team, Under the Direction of Gustavo Anzola
Creating a more functional surface for construction equipment when ground conditions are difficult is a common challenge within the construction industry. Leveraging outrigger steel crane mats over traditional wood crane mats provides advantages such as avoiding breakage, insect infestation, and rot, while offering stable ground condition.
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Designed for operator convenience and reduced crane set-up time, the new family of steel crane mats works perfectly with hydraulic truck cranes and all-terrain cranes ranging from 90-ton to 550-ton capacity. Recently patented, our smart mats range in size from 4-foot by 4-foot, up to 8-foot by 16-foot. However, these smart crane mats are made of high-strength steel rather than wood, and they are also 40 percent lighter than typical tubular or I-beam style steel mats on the market.
“Greenfield’s line of smart mats features a two-point pick design that allows the operator to use the same round nylon slings used for the crane counterweights to handle the crane mats,” stated Gustavo Anzola, Sales Manager at Greenfield Products. “The mats are designed so they can be lifted as a stack, four mats at a time, or individually. This translates into a very efficient operation when setting up the mats around the crane.”
One advantage of our smart crane mat technology is that our smart mats have virtually no noticeable deflection when loaded. Greenfield’s mats are designed with a center grid that provides strength in both directions of the mats, longitudinal and across. This also provides a superior load distribution underneath the mat when compared to wood or other steel mats made of tubing or I-beam.
At Greenfield Products, we design, engineer, and manufacture our smart crane mats to provide an efficient and convenient lifting configuration for the crane rental market.
Traditionally, crane mats have been constructed using oak or other select hardwood timbers. According to Becht, “In recent years, as supply dwindles, timbers do not measure a full 12-inch cross section. As they are milled, we often see one or more sides are not square, but rounded due to the smaller diameter of the raw cut logs. In some cases, we are seeing timber mats made from mixed wood species, and some with combined hard and soft woods.”
At Greenfield Products, we understand that the demand for crane mats is extremely high, and that the quality of wood crane mats has decreased over the years.
In addition, the lifespan of traditional wood crane mats is much shorter than outrigger steel crane mats, and they do not provide the superior stability that smart crane mats can provide. Leveraging smart crane mats versus wood crane mats can also help prevent job site delays and protect the environment, as the soil can be damaged by heavy, sinking construction equipment.
Greenfield Products’ outrigger crane mats and crawler crane mats are made of 100 percent high-strength steel that are lightweight and easier to handle and transport than wood mats. “Our smart crane mats are also thin profile compared to wood or composite mats, so operators won’t have any issues getting the crane outrigger float on top of the mats,” explained Anzola. At Greenfield, we design and manufacture this product in-house at our facility in Union City, TN. Contact us directly for all of your construction mat needs.
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