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Independent Australian plant & equipment hire directoryEarthmoving · Cranes · Access · Compaction · Transport

GR-01 / FLOAT BEFORE FORCE

Soft or wet ground

Low bearing capacity changes undercarriage choice, access, recovery planning and the real cost of production.

Rule of thumb

Float before force. Low bearing capacity changes undercarriage choice, access, recovery planning and the real cost of production.

01

Read the ground

Look for standing water, pumping under wheels, rutting and recent rain. Clay and black soil lose strength rapidly when wet.

02

Choose tracks and pads

Tracked machines with wide pads spread load. Wheeled plant and trucks may need hardstand, track mats or crushed rock haul roads.

03

Plan recovery

Agree how bogged plant will be recovered—and by whom—before it happens.

04

Budget for standby

Include wet-weather standby terms in hire agreements.

BY STATE

Where it matters

Regional conditions that make this rule especially relevant.

NSWNew South WalesSydney sits largely on Hawkesbury sandstone and Wianamatta shale with reactive clays to the west; inland plains carry black-soil clays that become impassable after rain.→VICVictoriaMelbourne's west and north sit on basalt with highly reactive clays; the south-east has sand. Basalt floaters routinely slow excavation and trenching in the growth corridors.→QLDQueenslandBlack-soil and reactive clays are widespread inland; coastal areas include acid sulfate soils and high groundwater that affect excavation and dewatering.→WAWestern AustraliaPerth sits on the Swan Coastal Plain's deep sands—easy digging but unstable trench walls and demanding compaction. Inland and in the Pilbara, hard rock and caprock call for breakers and ripping.→SASouth AustraliaAdelaide's plains carry highly reactive clays; the Limestone Coast has shallow limestone; the north is arid with gibber and calcrete.→TASTasmaniaDolerite dominates much of the south and midlands, making rock excavation common; steep terrain and wet winters shape access.→NTNorthern TerritoryLaterite and gravels in the Top End become boggy in the wet; the Centre has sand, rock and calcrete.→ACTAustralian Capital TerritoryVariable clays, weathered rock and volcanic formations; rock is common on hillside suburbs.→

APPLY IT

Project recipes

Prepare a house site →Repair a farm dam →Deliver a warehouse fit-out →Repair a regional road →Build a stormwater trench →Plan a commercial roof lift →Open a solar farm workfront →Mobilise flood recovery →Tight access →Steep and sloping sites →Hot and dusty work →Live traffic interfaces →Remote and long-distance work →

Turn the job into a clear hire brief.

Suppliers answer faster and quote more accurately when they get the outcome, access, ground and dates up front.

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