Testing Our Jack Pads and Outriggers

Summit Plywood
The heavy duty plywood outrigger pads are constructed of 1/16” thick plies of birch plywood. The CNC cut sheets are glued and screwed together for optimal strength. To ensure longevity, the plywood outriggers are soaked in Thompson’s Advanced Water Sealer. For easy handling, all of the wood outriggers are fitted with nylon rope handles. Outriggers larger than 30” are fitted with dual rope handles for two person lifts.

Summit UHMW
The long lasting ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene jack pads are virtually indestructible. The UHMW pads and outriggers are backed by a lifetime warranty against breakage. 12” Jack pads are machined with a small hole for the awning rod. 16” thru 20” pads and outriggers have integrated handles. 22” thru 30” outriggers have single nylon rope handles. 36” and larger outriggers have two nylon rope handles.

All of the outrigger pads and jack pads are machined on CNC equipment for a professional grade finish.

How We Test
Summit Products uses an independent testing agency to evaluate the suitability of the various materials used to make the jack pads and outriggers. This allows us to know precisely what load the pads can safely support. In the picture shown below, the white test fixture has a 14 inch diameter circle cut through the middle of it;

 

 

 

The 16 inch jack pad is then centered over the hole and the loading process begins. We even use an actual hydraulic jack foot to represent the load. By employing this process, we can be sure that this represents the worst possible situation for a jack pad. After all, how often do you place a jack pad over an open hole?

The wood jack pad in the photo above shows the effect of 16,000 pounds after repeated loads! This illustration also shows that wood will eventually break, where as the UHMW pads are far more likely to simply flex. We have never had a failure in the field with a UHMW jack pad or outrigger.