With too little counterweight, a crane is most likely to tip in which direction?

With too little counterweight, a crane is most likely to tip in which direction?

• A. Forward
• B. Left
• C. Right
• D. Backward

Answer: (A)

Crane stability comes from balancing moments around its base. The counterweight is there to counteract the moment created by the load so that the combined center of gravity stays inside the base of support. If the counterweight is too light, the moment from the lifted load dominates, causing the crane to rotate toward the load. That direction is forward—the side where the load is being moved away from the counterweight. Lateral tipping would require an imbalance to the left or right, and tipping backward would require more weight on the counterweight side, which isn’t the situation here. So the crane is most likely to tip forward.

Crane stability comes from balancing moments around its base. The counterweight is there to counteract the moment created by the load so that the combined center of gravity stays inside the base of support. If the counterweight is too light, the moment from the lifted load dominates, causing the crane to rotate toward the load. That direction is forward—the side where the load is being moved away from the counterweight. Lateral tipping would require an imbalance to the left or right, and tipping backward would require more weight on the counterweight side, which isn’t the situation here. So the crane is most likely to tip forward.