• Stabilizers extend from the chassis at an angle to provide stability that increases the working range of the equipment. You’ re likely to find stabilizers on smaller aerial devices or digger derricks with a shorter reach. Because stabilizers do not carry all the weight from the wheels or tracks, loads and pressures transferred to the ground are lower than those with outriggers.
• Outriggers are found on larger aerials, boom trucks and cranes with a longer reach to significantly increase the equipment’ s base, allowing for a larger operating range. They extend out and down and lift
the equipment off the ground fully. The outrigger floats are the only contact points with the ground during operation. Because the total weight of the equipment, the rigging and the load is transferred directly through the outriggers, outrigger reaction forces and pressures are higher.
Equipment manufacturers provide instructions for the proper deployment and requirements for levelness, while the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration address this in standards and regulations. Be sure to refer to your operator’ s manual for
Cribbing blocks, like DICA ProStack Pyramid Lock and Slot Lock products, have an interlocking surface or mechanism to add mechanical sliding resistance.
10 • 515-955-1600 • October 2025