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

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

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

Answer: (B)

Crane stability rests on where the combined center of gravity sits relative to the base of support. The counterweight is placed on the rear to balance the load in front, so adding too much counterweight shifts the overall center of gravity toward the back. If that center of gravity moves behind the rear edge of the base, the vertical line of action falls outside the base footprint and the crane will rotate toward the counterweight side—i.e., tip backward. The other directions would require imbalances in the opposite sense or side-to-side shifts, which aren’t caused by excess rear counterweight.

Crane stability rests on where the combined center of gravity sits relative to the base of support. The counterweight is placed on the rear to balance the load in front, so adding too much counterweight shifts the overall center of gravity toward the back. If that center of gravity moves behind the rear edge of the base, the vertical line of action falls outside the base footprint and the crane will rotate toward the counterweight side—i.e., tip backward. The other directions would require imbalances in the opposite sense or side-to-side shifts, which aren’t caused by excess rear counterweight.