[quote name='MattC' timestamp='1297713524' post='425283']
Maybe a few more cranks on the driver side screw-down out rigger?
[/quote]
Matt, I'll probably catch it from others with more experience, but that jack on the officer's side is fine, and doing what its supposed to do.
The first picture shows that the tractor is straight with the trailer, probably due to a narrow street and parked cars. "Jack knifing" the tractor would usually provide even more stability when space allows it. The screw jacks were normally just handtight. With the aerial 90 degrees off the side, at a low elevation, and extended a little with two men on it, its the worst case for stability. That jack is floating but will sit right down once the men on the ladder either go in or move back down towards the rig. If you tighten the jack down right now when its floating, it would take a cheater pipe and a bunch of effort to get the jack down once the aerial is brought back to center line. The operator just needs to be aware that he's floating the jack and near his limits. If he kept loading the aerial, or extended it further, the rig could eventually tip, but the jack floating is just a hint to an observant operator.
Same thing happens from time to time with modern rigs when a jack gets "light", but the alarms go off and you have to hold "by-pass" switches to correct the problem. Plus hydraulics take the work out of setting and retracting the jacks. Two classic pics, by the way.
Gary
Maybe a few more cranks on the driver side screw-down out rigger?
[/quote]
Matt, I'll probably catch it from others with more experience, but that jack on the officer's side is fine, and doing what its supposed to do.
The first picture shows that the tractor is straight with the trailer, probably due to a narrow street and parked cars. "Jack knifing" the tractor would usually provide even more stability when space allows it. The screw jacks were normally just handtight. With the aerial 90 degrees off the side, at a low elevation, and extended a little with two men on it, its the worst case for stability. That jack is floating but will sit right down once the men on the ladder either go in or move back down towards the rig. If you tighten the jack down right now when its floating, it would take a cheater pipe and a bunch of effort to get the jack down once the aerial is brought back to center line. The operator just needs to be aware that he's floating the jack and near his limits. If he kept loading the aerial, or extended it further, the rig could eventually tip, but the jack floating is just a hint to an observant operator.
Same thing happens from time to time with modern rigs when a jack gets "light", but the alarms go off and you have to hold "by-pass" switches to correct the problem. Plus hydraulics take the work out of setting and retracting the jacks. Two classic pics, by the way.
Gary
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