That gravel trick for soft ground I tried last Tuesday saved my setup time by 40 minutes

I got called to a residential job near a creek where the ground was way softer than the soil report said. I usually just crib and pray, but a guy from Local 450 told me to lay down crushed gravel first and compact it before setting the outriggers. Has anyone else tried this on really wet sites or do you stick with mats?

3 comments

3 Comments

miller.emery1mo ago

40 minutes? That's a huge number for just switching out your base. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I missed this trick for the last ten years. Gravel is so much cheaper than those rental mats too, right? I wonder if the savings add up if you're doing soft ground jobs every week.

tessa_murray1mo ago

Hold up, gravel doesn't always work like that. If the ground is really wet and soft, that gravel can just push down into the mud and disappear, leaving you with a sinking outrigger anyway. You're better off with plywood or proper mats that actually spread the weight out instead of hoping the gravel stays put.

lewis.terry1mo ago

@miller.emery I learned that one the hard way, now my outriggers have their own swimming pool.