If you work in the construction industry, then it’s only a matter of time until you run across a crane mat company offering new AND used crane pads for sale. At first, this might seem like a no-brainer. Why spend more on new crane pads when your local crane mat company is offering cheaper used crane pads for sale?
Of course, there are a number of persuasive reasons to avoid used crane pads, and operators rely on these second-rate products at their own risk.
Ask Yourself: Why Is This Crane Mat Company Selling Used Products in the First Place
For many decades, crane operators relied on wooden crane pads made from various types of wood and timber. Later, some crane mat companies started offering steel crane pads as well. And for the most part, these crane pads were up to the job. Of course, there’s a reason your average crane mat company is now trying to offload used crane mats on the cheap.
Today, fewer and fewer companies are using wood or steel crane pads, and these old fashioned supports are going extinct. That’s because most crane operators prefer to use crane pads designed from thermoplastic or fiberglass-based materials. These modern stabilizer pads for cranes offer a number of major advantages over wood or steel crane pads.
For instance, it’s only a matter of time before wooden pads suck up moisture and start to warp and rot. If they aren’t replaced quickly enough, they can start to degrade rapidly, leading to dangerous crane upsets. Likewise, steel will rust when exposed to the harsh conditions of a job site. On top of that, steel crane pads are extremely heavy, which makes them hard to move and expensive to transport.
On the other hand, fiberglass-based crane pads are as durable and hardy as steel but as light as wood. And unlike wood and steel, these high-tech stabilizer pads for cranes will last for decades.
That’s put your average crane mat company in a difficult situation, with warehouses full of inferior wood or steel products.
Used Crane Mats for Sale Should Be a Red Flag
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are about 82 crane-related deaths each year, and they’re some of the most costly and dangerous accidents on construction sites. That’s why most operators prefer to use the most reliable crane pads available today, which means leaving the wooden crane pads of old behind.
