What’s wrong with this Picture?

This is NEVER ok

The MFG pad is designed to sit on a suitable supporting platform, IE large timber “dunnage” trench plate or something that will take the load the unit can apply.

Not 2X4’s Not asphalt.

All size booms and MFG’s

This is a reminder, Old timers and everyone else…….

When questioned about why we keep nagging about this stuff the answer is because we still see this stuff being done.

It’s unsafe and wrong.

If you have questions about how much and what size of dunnage to use for your pump, Please don’t be embarrassed to ask.

Beware quite a few have been trained poorly, as evidenced by the pic, and think things like this are acceptable.

Check with the MFG or qualified trusted people that have the safety of the industry in mind.

And yes I am a little, ok a lot passionate about this stuff, if it saves one life because I harp on things like this I have helped to improve the industry.

I'm with you

Keep posting stuff like this,perhaps the younger operators will learn from it.There's no substitute for safety,thank you.

It's a reason why the MFG puts all those stickers on the pumps, to inform us.
Read them instead of washing 'em of with the pressure washer...

wow, good post by the way.

Thanks for posting this. I hope it use useful in helping all operators, I think both young as well as old have been guilty of "skimping" on the dunnage at one time or another.

That's gonna leave a mark!!

Ok, so im asking... What IS proper dunnage?

And maybe a picture of what its supposed to look like

I love those pictures of 63m with a boatload of lumber under em!!!

If you got 'em, post 'em!!!

here's one of a 58 with a small pickup truck load of lumber :)

Crazycreter, Thanks for asking.

The principal criteria are to gain surface area the larger the foot print the lower the force exerted on the soil.

In the PM Operation manual you will see that this needs to be done with Min of 6X6 solid timber. So soft wood is out it needs to be good stuff.

How long to make them is determined by the max allowable PSI the soil can take.

Example:   outrigger load of 46000 Lbs

Standard Factory pad is 24 inches square.

24x24 =576 square inches of area.

Divide the max load by the area    46000lbs ÷ 576sqin =79.86 PSI potential exertion on soil.

Most surfaces you will encounter on site will not support this so you would need a bigger foot print under that outrigger.

So you put 4,  6”X6”X48”  this makes an area of 24” X 48” =1152 Sq Inches

Now divide 46000Lbs ÷ 1152 Sq Inches = 39.9 PSI

So by adding the solid 6X6 support blocks you gained surface area and the max load is lowered from 79.8 PSI to 39.9 PSI. Not low enough PSI? Get longer and larger timber

The bigger you go the lower the load on the soil, this is a case of bigger IS better as long as you use solid lumber of suitable size.

Just for fun why don’t you tell me the Max PSI you would put on the ground if the contactor put a 4X8 foot trench plate down for you.

Remember 2X4 s don’t cut it they will just snap. Be cautious of used Railroad ties also they like to rot from the middle out.

16 Cell thanks for adding your pic.

I only run a schwing 42m, I was tought that it easer to spent 2 minutes placeing and picking up dunnage than it is to exsplain why you just killed someone. I use dunnage about 98% of the time unless im in a known rocky area which there is a bunch of it where i live.

Next time you are on a commercial job site ask the site engineer what the PSI the soil is capable to support. He will be surprised you asked and you might be surprised with the answer. One thing I am sure of. If there is an accident the lawyers will be able to tell you what it was no mater what kind of site it was. This detail is info any operator has the right to inquire about on any site.

most super's will tell you the soil is hard as a rock. don't believe them. put your dunnage down. CYA at all times!!!

In the interest of growing I propose a Test. I would like to see how many answers I get. I would like to know how much PSI you put on the ground with Your pump sitting on a 36 Inch square pad. Up to the challenge? If you don’t want to publish it you can private e-mail me. And yes CYA the super might not know the detail but the site Engineer will, but he might be hard to locate. If you want it bad enough you will find it. I continually hear we never know that info when I am at the schools. Might it be time to ASK for this to change? Just because it is the way it has been done for years don’t make it correct.

When are the manufacturers gona take there part of this responsibility?? The dunnage should be standart equipment on (large) pumps. But some new pumps have very little or non. Even the storage place isn't there some times.

go back a couple of weeks, didnt we have a picture of a large boom nose dived on one side and all the operator  had put down was plaki pads? and wasnt there a number of postings which defended this sayin that the ground was sturdy  blah blah etc etc etc and it was the contractors fault......

schwing58 I agree I have argued this many times, how do you deliver a 52m or larger with a 24 x 24 pad ? makes it seem as this is SOP , wrong , all pumps should have 3-4 4x6 dunnages for each outrigger standard, and on 52s and above a 4'x4' aluminum pad works great expensive but well worth it.

That is one nice thing about the 52 and up schwings. They come with the wooden pads to go under the metal feet. They may be a pain to put in that handy rack they are stored in if you have the mack chassis and not the tor but at least you have them!

Although in certain conditions that is still not enough. But it is a good start. Better than a 2' x 2' pad. I don't care what the manufacturer supplies there are going to be many of days that it is not nearly enough. Many of nasty jobsites. Many of setups where whether you are on concrete or not you have to remember that concrete is only as good as the base beneath it and use extra dunnage because its better to be safe than to be sorry. Asphalt is especially bad because with heat it becomes very pliable and easy to push even good dunnage through. Our jobs would be much safer if we were all psychics and knew what we were setting our pumps on or over. But we are not so all we can do is use our heads and common sense to minimize any accidents in our industry.

schwing58

You ask a good question, so I posed it to the PMA eng dept. See the response below

I have watched the cranes show up with loads of dunnage on a support truck but I do not believe it is factory supplied, I will ask a friend in the crane industry to be sure.

The fact is customers tell the factory what they want to be added for options on the units.

Some have added dunnage racks to take care of the need but like the one in the picture they sacrificed a tool box. The picture is not condoning the actual dunnage pictured this stuff looks a little shaky but you get the idea of how customers have adapted.

I agree with you that I do not recall any North American MFG that has supplied significant storage areas dedicated strictly for dunnage as a standard feature. PCP does have the optional dunnage holder, but that is for relatively short boards. I think there are a few reasons for this:

1.     The decks are kept clear for both walking up on the machine and for dunnage/pipes if desired ... and some companies do use this.

2.     Like any business, the pump MFG's products reflect their customer's requirements. There has been more interest in pipe storage than for dunnage.

3.     Weight laws in the US force a choice between the weight of the dunnage vs. other features (ie pump output & pressure capacity, boom length & resulting support structure, water storage capacity, toolboxes, chassis costs for extra length and/or axles). To this point, the industry has not been willing to sacrifice any of the other features in favor of dunnage storage.

4.     Transport efficiency - some companies may find it easier (more efficient) to have a service truck that transports the dunnage needed to support multiple pump truck set-ups. Heck, before the downturn I was saying that someone could make a decent business out of dunnage supply in some of the bigger cities.

http://www.concretepumpers.com/pdfs/05002_outriggers.pdf

Pleas feel free to take the opportunity to download and read what is offered on the ACPA site.

Here's a link from the UK.  It's with regards to cranes, but the priciples are the same.

http://www.beresfordsflooring.co.uk/bfl/products/Alimats/Resources/Scottish%20Water%20Safety%20Bulletin.pdf

Thanks pumpjockey, The crane industry is not so far different from us I will keep this to share. I especially liked the first 6 questions

By the way is that who's pump I think it is travelteck? I almost bet I could tell you exactly which pump that is.

I am a new operator I,ve been pumping for three years an the one the thing the good vets keep telling me is DUNNAGE IS YOUR FRIEND! Take the extra time why do you have it if your not going to use it

That is good advice.

i was told once that to carry more dunnage couldn't be done the pump was already overwieght.

This can be an issue, I used to carry what I needed for "average jobs" then if I needed more dispatch would send a truck out with more for the particular site.

A little over-kill, but better safe than sorry