Advantages of Synthetic Outrigger Pads Compared To Wooden Ones

Whether you are using an aerial lift, truck mounted crane, bucket truck, or any other type of commercial vehicle that requires stabilization and support to function correctly, having the right type of outrigger pads is important. Many operators in the past have just stuck with something practical such as a wooden pad without realizing just how ineffective and even dangerous it can be.
To ensure you are operating within safety guidelines as well as maintaining full capacity and efficiency for your crane or other equipment, using a synthetic crane outrigger pad is highly recommended. Here are a few reasons our jackpad is a better option than wooden pads:

 Synthetic Outrigger Pads Are Much Stronger
When operating a crane or similar piece of equipment, you are required to have a specific amount of support if you are working in poor ground conditions. With an outrigger pad, you need to be able to transfer all of the outrigger load evenly across the entire jackpad. With a wooden pad the amount of load transferred can simply be too much which can cause the wood to bend or split. As this happens, the effective load capacity can be reduced to as little as 80%. Our synthetic outrigger pads, on the other hand, are created with an ultra-high density material so load is distributed evenly and there is no risk of decreasing the efficiency of the rig. Our outrigger and RV jack leveling pads can have compressive loads up to 1 million pounds.

 Wooden Pads Are Prone To Breaking
If your pad breaks while you are operating equipment you could be facing serious problems for obvious reasons. Unfortunately wood is not that dense, even if it is pressure treated, which means splintering and breaking is a frequent occurrence. If you are operating in extreme temperatures, wood is also prone to expanding and warping which further weakens the pad. Breaks cause splinters which can cause a host of issues including infections if someone gets splinters stuck in their hand.
Synthetic outrigger pads are made out of a material known as an ultra-high-molecular-weight polymer which can be used to full efficiency anywhere from -155°F to 200°F. That means you don’t have to worry about the pads snapping, cracking, or expanding due to extreme temperatures. Additionally, due to the way our pads are designed, a crane outrigger hydraulic jack pad is able to flex slightly on rough terrain so they do not break whenever they are under high amounts of stress.

 Synthetic Outrigger Pads Are Easy To Clean And Don’t Absorb Chemicals
If you are working in an industrial environment, there are typically chemicals involved and at times these can make their way to the ground or onto the jackpad for a crane outrigger. If the hydraulic jack outrigger pad is made out of wood, those chemicals can be absorbed into the wood itself which makes it a hazard for anyone handling it.
With an outrigger pad made out of synthetic material the pad is too dense to absorb anything which eliminates that risk entirely. In addition the polymer that is used to create the hydraulic jack pad is resistant to corrosion and is extremely easy to clean so you never have to worry about any harmful chemicals when handling the pads.

 Synthetic Outrigger Pads Don’t Need To Be Frequently Replaced
Not only are synthetic pads safer than wooden blocks, they are a great financial investment as well. One of the allures to using homemade wooden jack pads—even those used for RV leveling—is that they are fairly cheap to create. While that is true, they break often which means you have to replace them over and over again. A synthetic outrigger pad is designed to last a lifetime without any breaks, cracks, splintering, or other issues which make it a great long-term investment for your RV or any industrial equipment you operate.

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