Tip-over incidents are a major concern during mobile crane operations. Given how destructive tipping accidents can be, mobile crane operators and site managers must take additional precautions to prevent these incidents.
Gravity, balance, and leverage are critical factors when it comes to crane stability. The key is to design a lift plan that takes these factors into account and is in line with manufacturer specifications.
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at some configurations that can cause stability issues.
Lifting on Rubber
When a mobile crane setup uses rubber lifts instead of the conventional outrigger setup, it’s important to review the rubber rating chart as the load configuration will vary in this case. Without extending the outriggers, the stability of the crane will be minimized, and the crane is more likely to tip over.
Front or Rear Lifting
When the boom is positioned directly in front of the crane, there’s a higher chance of the crane tipping forward. To prevent this from happening, crane operators must review the load lifting chart specifications for front and rear load lifts.
Side Lifting
The least stable position for lifting is the side; this configuration shouldn’t be used unless absolutely essential. If this is the case, then the crane operator should set the initial position to the least stable location and then moving forward with the lift from that point onwards. This prevents accidental overloads as the load rises up.
Boom Length
Extending the boom length beyond the lift specifications is one of the biggest reasons behind crane tipping. It’s easy to assume that the boom length must be extended to its full extent, but the fact is that increased boom length results in lower load lifting capacity.
Best Practices
Always use a qualified and trained crane operator.
Read manufacturer specifications about the load lift before each lift.
Never lift loads greater than the limits specified in the load chart.
Use outriggers to add stability.
Avoid lift loads that come without any rating.
Use crane operational aids to prevent guesswork.
Ensure Safe Crane Load Monitoring
Crane Warning Systems Atlanta offers excellent solutions to help you enhance the stability of your lifting operations. As a is a leading distributor of crane safety systems. Featuring a wide range of crane operational aids, such as crane wind speed, crane load moment indicators, and crane rated capacity indicators, we can help you ensure that your crane setup is secure and stable.
For more information about ATB Systems, get in touch here.