DICA EcoMax Crane Pads for IUOE

DICA, a provider of engineered outrigger pads, crane pads, and ground protection products, announces that the International Union of Operating Engineers’ (IUOE) Training Center in Crosby, Texas has received a set of EcoMax Crane Pads. EcoMax crane pads were selected for use with the center’s new Potain IGO T99 self-erecting tower crane. 

“The industry has come to expect professional, engineered outrigger pads,” said John Callahan, Training and Equipment Assistant at the Training Center.

“This is safer than using whatever materials you have on hand on a job site because you know that this set of pads is intended for use with that specific crane and are designed to handle the loads.”

The IUOE Training Center features the latest equipment and products where apprentices learn how to operate the cranes, journeymen are trained on crane assembly/disassembly, and trainers receive Train-the-Trainer instruction.

The Potain IGO T99 replaces a smaller IGO T70, which led the training center to re-evaluate the necessary supporting materials for setting up the self-erecting crane.

The Potain IGO T99 replaces a smaller IGO T70, which led the training center to re-evaluate the necessary supporting materials for setting up the self-erecting crane. Anticipating greater corner loads—the maximum ground bearing pressure exerted by the outriggers—Callahan sought out experts to assess the ground conditions.

“The key factors that impact corner loading on the IGO T99 are similar to any mobile crane, as the design principles are quite comparable,” explains Chad Jacobs, Tower Crane Specialist at Stephenson Equipment, a Potain tower crane dealer in the Northeast.

“The crane is supported on four outriggers, and the total corner load is primarily influenced by the combination of lifted load and wind or jib line forces. These factors work together to determine how the load is distributed across each outrigger.”

Based on engineering recommendations, the training center made improvements to the ground, which included adding a layer of crushed limestone. Callahan also asked for DICA’s help in selecting crane pads that would distribute the loads to acceptable levels.

DICA’s FIT Assessments consider crane manufacturer data, such as Maximum Outrigger Reaction Force and Outrigger Float dimensions, and the allowable bearing capacity of the supporting surface. Based on this analysis, DICA recommended the EM2-64, a 24 square foot EcoMax Crane Pad to Callahan.

EcoMax combines the stiffness of steel I-beams with the durability and longevity of fiber-reinforced composite materials. A patented design with unique through-bolt positioning ensures optimal load distribution across the entire crane pad.

EcoMax crane pads were selected for use with the training center’s new Potain IGO T99 self-erecting tower crane.

Other DICA products in use at the training center since it opened in 2018 include FiberMax Crane Pads, SafetyTech and FiberTech Outrigger Pads, ProStack Cribbing Blocks, and TrainSmart Pole Barrier Systems.

“DICA’s products hold up to the Texas heat and sun, even better than some of our cranes,” said Callahan. “There’s no shade and they stay out in the yard most of the year.”

While Callahan is a believer in using engineered, composite outrigger pads, he admits to a personal bias. “I like the steel and composite combination and being able to see how the crane pad is made,” he said.